Ministry of Justice

Electronic Tagging: Contracts

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the statement of requirements for the contract to provide management consultancy services in relation to the electronic monitoring programme, procurement reference 345059/1227950, as agreed between his Department and Ernst & Young LLP on 5 May 2023.

Damian Hinds: The statement of requirements was published to 30 suppliers under CCS MCF3 – Lot 3 – Complex and Transformation, as part of the ITT that published to market. The statement of requirements was only available to the suppliers that were invited on our E-sourcing portal and therefore was not accessible by the wider public and only to the suppliers that were invited to bid.The Ministry of Justice intends to release the information, and it will be completed within 30 days. An unredacted version of the statement of requirements shall be published on contracts finder.

National Probation Service for England and Wales

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many National Probation Service local delivery units were operating as of 28 June 2023; and how many National Probation Service local delivery units closed in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: Prior to 2014 the Probation Service operated as 35 Probation Trusts. From 1 June 2014, the National Probation Service (NPS), which was responsible for high-risk offenders in the community, was created and staff in the NPS joined HMPPS as civil servants.The NPS was divided into seven divisions which was then sub-divided into 72 Local Delivery Unit (LDU) Clusters.On 26 June 2021, the Probation Service unified creating 12 Probation Service regions containing 108 Probation Delivery Units (PDUs) and other non-PDU business units. All delivery that fell within the LDU Clusters now falls within the boundaries of a PDU.

Probation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of probation Community Integration Teams in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: A Community Integration Team has been in place in each of the 12 probation regions in England and Wales since June 2021, when probation was restructured into a unified service. The staff costs for community integration teams for the two years: 26 June 21- 31 March 22 and 2022-23 was £6.8 million and £13.0 million respectively.

Prisoners' Release

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to ensure all prison leavers have a resettlement plan.

Damian Hinds: Effective resettlement of prison leavers is a core part of our efforts to reduce re-offending. This includes making sure someone has a home, family links where appropriate, access to healthcare, a job or further education, and/or access to benefits.The Government remains committed to helping individuals turn their back on crime by introducing Resettlement Passports, which will bring together key information and services that an individual needs to resettle in the community, such as bank accounts, CVs and identity documents to prove the right to work and rent.The passport will be a practical and personalised tool which organises, plans and records the information and services needed to support a prison leaver’s resettlement.

Prison Officers: Early Retirement

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2023 to Question 184942, Prison Service: Early Retirement, what proportion of prison staff aged 60 or over retired due to (a) ill health and (b) injury in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Hinds: Information on the proportion of prison staff aged 60 and over who left HMPPS due to ‘ill health retirement’ is given in the following table. Figures are presented annually for the last ten years.There is not a specific, centrally held, leaving reason for ‘injury’ and so this part cannot be answered.The data provided relates to headcount and not FTE.Table 1: Proportion of prison staff aged 60+1 who retired due to ill health2, from 01 April to 31 March; 2013/14 to 2022/23Financial YearProportion of prison staff aged 60+ who retired due to ill healthProportion of retiring prison staff 60+ who retired due to ill health2013/140.10%0.57%2014/150.00%0.00%2015/160.00%0.00%2016/17~~2017/180.20%1.28%2018/190.20%1.65%2019/200.30%2.54%2020/210.20%1.98%2021/22~~2022/230.40%3.34%Notes1. Age as at time of leaving.2. Includes the following reasons for leaving: 'Retirement: Medical', 'Retirement: Ill Health Retirement', 'Retirement: Ill Health Tier 1', 'Retirement: Ill Health Tier 2', 'Retirement: Ill Health Tier 3'.~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2018.

Prison Service: Dismissal

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2023 to Question 184944, Prison Service: Dismissal, what proportion of prison staff aged 60 or over were dismissed from service because of medical inefficiency in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Hinds: Information on the proportion of staff, aged 60 and over in HM Prisons (including YCS) who left for reasons of ‘Dismissal - Unsatisfactory attendance’ or ‘Dismissal - Medical Inefficiency’ is given in the table below. Between January 2017 and December 2019, cases of ‘Dismissal - Medical Inefficiency’ were recorded as ‘Dismissal - Unsatisfactory attendance’ on our internal reporting system, and so these have been combined in the response throughout the time series.Table 1: Proportion of prison staff aged 60+1 who were dismissed due to medical inefficiency/unsatisfactory attendance2, from 01 April to 31 March; 2013/14 to 2022/23(headcount)Financial YearProportion of prison staff aged 60+ dismissed due to medical inefficiency/unsatisfactory attendance2013/141.7%2014/152.1%2015/161.8%2016/172.1%2017/181.0%2018/191.3%2019/201.8%2020/211.2%2021/221.5%2022/232.3%Notes1. Age as at time of leaving2. From January 2017 to December 2019, information regarding dismissals as a result of medical inefficiencies were recorded as unsatisfactory attendances. Therefore, these categories have been combined here throughout the timeseries. Prison officers are part of the Civil Service Pension Scheme which has a pension age linked to the individuals state pensions age – this is between 65 and 68 depending on their date of birth. This is the same for HMPPS in England and Wales as it is for the Scottish Prison Service.This is a defined benefit scheme which pays a pension for life without investment uncertainties. It has one of the lower employee contribution rates across the public sector, whilst employer contributions are 27%Whilst the fire and police service pensions have a lower retirement age of 60, members of these schemes pay between 12% and 14% contributions, whereas prison officers pay only 5.45%HMPPS takes very seriously the health and safety of all prison staff – whatever their age. All prison officers who joined the service after April 2001 must pass an annual fitness test in order to remain a prison officer.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Opinion

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure that early legal advice is given to parties in more civil matters.

Mike Freer: We are taking several steps to ensure that early legal advice is given to more parties in civil matters. These include: On 25 May 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the Government’s response to the Legal Aid Means Test Review. The measures announced include the decision to remove the means test for legal help for inquests where the case relates to a potential breach of ECHR obligations or raises a wider significant public interest. This will remove the burden on families of having to provide financial information in difficult circumstances and will help ensure that legal support is available for bereaved families at the earlier, investigative stage of an inquest From 1 August 2023, under the new Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, anyone facing eviction or repossession will be able to receive free early legal advice on housing, debt, and welfare benefits issues before appearing in court, as well as continuing to get advice and representation on the day of their hearing. This move follows a two-month consultation into the reform of housing legal aid, part of our wider civil legal aid strategy to improve the breadth and quality of advice available for those who need it. We have recently laid a statutory instrument to expand the family legal aid scheme to bring Special Guardianship Orders in private family proceedings into the scope of legal aid. The Ministry of Justice is currently undertaking a Review of Civil Legal Aid, to identify evidence-based options for moving to a more effective, efficient, and sustainable system for legal aid providers and the people who rely on legal aid. The Review will consider the civil legal aid system in its entirety: how services are procured, how well the current system works for users, how civil legal aid impacts the wider justice system, and whether the civil legal aid system offers a financially viable business option for legal aid providers. The Review will publish its interim findings in March 2024.

Tickets: Sales

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many successful prosecutions there have been under the Breaching of Limits on Ticket Sales Regulations 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Argar: It is not possible to provide information about successful prosecutions under the Breaching of Limits on Ticket Sales Regulations 2018. This information is not centrally held in the Court Proceedings Database by the Ministry of Justice.

Legal Aid Scheme

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of uplifting civil legal aid rates.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice is currently undertaking a Review of Civil Legal Aid to identify evidence-based options for moving to a more effective, efficient, and sustainable system for legal aid providers and the people who rely on legal aid. The Review will consider the civil legal aid system in its entirety: how services are procured, how well the current system works for users, how civil legal aid impacts the wider justice system, and whether the civil legal aid system offers a financially viable business option for legal aid providers. Whilst the Review will not propose options on specific individual fees, it will consider the overall fee structure. In the interim, we are continuing to make improvements across the sector to ensure legal aid is available to those who need it, including injecting up to £10m a year into housing legal aid through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service and broadening the evidence requirements for victims of domestic abuse applying for legal aid with an increase in funding of up to £13m per year.

Probate: Standards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the current average processing time for probate cases; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times.

Mike Freer: Despite record level of receipts during January to March 2023, the average mean length of time taken for a grant of probate, following receipt of the documents required, is 9 weeks.HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand following an increased number of estates requiring probate and these resources are focussed on increasing outputs to reduce overall timeliness on all types of applications.Average waiting times for probate grants, are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to March 2023.

Legal Representation: Mediation

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure litigants in person are not disadvantaged during mediations against legal professionals.

Mike Freer: Mediation and other forms of dispute resolution offer valuable options for individuals and businesses to resolve their legal disputes without a judicial determination. It is important that where a party does not have legal representation that these litigants in person are equally able to take full advantage of the opportunity to resolve their dispute consensually as a party with legal representation.In Summer 2022, the Ministry of Justice consulted on expanding the HMCTS’ Small Claims Mediation Service (SCMS) to require all small claims in the county court (up to £10,000) to attend a mediation appointment with a court-employed mediator. SCMS mediators can bring a mediation to a close if there is a concern that there is a power imbalance that cannot be mitigated. HMCTS is currently reviewing their mediator training and developing guidance to ensure mediators are well equipped and trained to handle cases which involve an imbalance of power, or where a party is considered to be vulnerable.

Family Conciliation Services

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) willingness and (b) ability of courts to determine the validity of exemption claims for Mediated Information and Assessment Meetings.

Mike Freer: Data from 2021/22 showed that only 33% of applicants to the family courts for a private law matter concerning children attended a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) when their application type would have ordinarily required MIAM attendance. Although most of these exemptions are validly claimed, the reasons given for the exemptions are not always properly scrutinised when an application is submitted, and at present the evidence supporting the exemption may not be considered until the first court hearing. The Government has asked the Family Procedure Rule Committee to consider what changes could be made to strengthen the uptake and enforcement of the MIAM requirement, including whether the point at which the evidence is considered by the court could be brought forward. The Committee has recently consulted on proposed rule changes in this area. The consultation can be found at: Early resolution of private family law arrangements - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The consultation is now closed, and any Rule changes are expected to be confirmed in Autumn, with plans for changes to come into force in 2024.

Human Rights Act 1998

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to reform the Human Rights Act 1998.

Mike Freer: The Lord Chancellor announced to the house on 27 June 2023, that the Government has carefully considered the legislative programme in the round and has decided not to take forward the Bill of Rights Bill. We have taken and are taking action to address specific issues with the HRA and the ECHR, including through the Illegal Migration Bill, Victims and Prisoners Bill, and Overseas Operations Act 2021 – the last of which addressed vexatious claims against veterans and the armed forces. The Government remains committed to a human rights framework that is up to date, fit for purpose, and works for the British people.

First-tier Tribunal: Property

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 19 June to Question 189480 on First-tier Tribunal: Property, how many of the applications received by the First-Tier Tribunal Property Chamber in October 2022 (a) have been decided, (b) have been withdrawn and (c) remain outstanding.

Mike Freer: The data requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on receipts and disposals in the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). The published statistics are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2023.

Prisons: Social Services

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many neurodiversity support managers have been recruited in each prison in the past 12 months.

Damian Hinds: A Neurodiversity Support Manager role is being recruited in each prison across England and Wales to implement a whole prison approach to supporting neurodivergent needs with improved processes to identify and support prisoners' needs. In the 12-month period to 26 June 2023, HMPPS have recruited 91 Neurodiversity Support Managers. Of these, 78 are in post with the remainder completing recruitment and vetting.

Prisons: Education

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Prison Education Framework contract will be updated to account for inflation; and which inflation figure will be used when updating that contract.

Damian Hinds: Indexation is applied on 1 April each year under the Prison Education Framework contract terms. Any adjustments are based on the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation value published before the 1 April indexation point which is typically the value published in March each year.

Prison Accommodation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2023 to Question 187087 on Prison Accommodation, for what reason it is not practicable to collect data on time out of cell for each prison in England and Wales.

Damian Hinds: Prison governors set a regime for each day specifying when prisoners will ordinarily be unlocked. There will be occasions, however, when certain prisoners will remain in their cell during these times. Reasons for this will include illness, being over retirement age, the management of operational incidents, and other operational reasons such as staff needing to be deployed to other duties. There will also be occasions where prisoners will be out of cell at times when they are scheduled to be locked in, for example to attend medical appointments at hospital, a late arrival from court, or a transfer between prisons. To accurately record the amount of time prisoners spend out of cell, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) would therefore be required to record information for each individual prisoner, taking into account their unique movements on a daily basis.

Prisons: Education

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Prison education:  a review of reading education in prisons published by Ofsted on 22 March 2022, what steps his Department has taken to prioritise reading education in prisons.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Prison education: a review of reading education in prisons published by Ofsted on 22 March 2022, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that prisoners who need to improve their reading skills receive adequate and targeted support.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Prison education: a review of reading in prisons published by Ofsted on 22 March 2022, whether assessments have been (a) developed and (b) implemented to identify prisoners' learning needs.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to improve the training and professional development of prison teaching staff to ensure that those staff can teach adults to read.

Damian Hinds: We have made clear that improving prisoners’ literacy and numeracy skills will increase their ability to get jobs when they are released, which, in turn, will cut crime and make our streets safer.Since the review conducted by OFSTED and HMI Prisons in 2022, we have piloted and launched a reading assessment tool and developed a national reading strategy which is available in all prisons. We have also supported staff delivering this vital work by developing curriculum plans that meet the needs of learners. Teaching staff now have access to appropriate Continuous Professional Development (CPD) around teaching reading, and libraries have resources to allow reading for pleasure. We have also provided training to governing governors on OFSTED expectations to ensure the appropriate literacy curriculum is in place.In addition, we have expanded the provision of the Shannon Trust who are involved in teaching and supporting prisoners to read, ensuring reading is a part of the regular needs assessment.

Prisons: Disability

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to evaluate the effectiveness of rapid learning difficulties and disabilities assessment and support plan systems in prisons.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to (a) encourage more prisoners to enrol in educational programs and (b) help prisoners to receive support for learning difficulties or disabilities.

Damian Hinds: There are ongoing evaluations of the assessment tools with work being undertaken to look at the most effective way to assess Learning difficulties and disabilities. In March 2025 a new Prison Education Service (PES) will be launched and this will inform the assessment model post 2025. Prisoners are encouraged to enrol in educational programmes at induction and we are recruiting Heads of Education, Skills and Work (HoESW) in all public prisons in England. Their primary responsibility will be to oversee the delivery of education at Prison level. We encourage governors to incentivise education and they are held to account for ensuring the number of prisoners engaged with vocational courses, Maths and English is sufficiently high compared to their overall population. The curriculum plans are revised regularly to ensure there is a robust link between the education on offer and employment opportunities on release. Neurodiversity managers are being introduced to assist those with Learning Difficulties and Disability (LDD) needs and all education providers have special needs coordinators in place.

Prisons: Disability

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) rapid learning difficulties and (b) disabilities assessments were conducted in (i) public and (ii) private sector prisons in 2022-23.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of  prisoners given a rapid assessment showed signs of a (a) learning difficulty and (b) disability in 2022-23.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that (a) learning difficulties and (b) disabilities assessments are not repeated for prisoners who serve their sentence in multiple prisons.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many in-depth (a) learning difficulties and (b) disabilities assessments were carried out for prisoners who enrolled in an educational programme in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Damian Hinds: 64,008 initial screenings for Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD) were carried out in 2022/2023, 57,535 in public sector prisons and 6,473 in private prisons. 31% of prisoners who took an initial screening for LDD in 2022/2023 had an LDD confirmed. It is not possible to split the above figures into disabilities and learning difficulties. All screening results are stored digitally, and education providers are mandated to check whether a screen exists to avoid duplication. The number of detailed screenings for learning difficulties and disabilities in 22-23 for prisoners who enrolled on a learning programme was 9,888.

Department for Education

ICT: Teachers

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many computing teachers (a) left teaching and (b) were recruited in (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2021 and (iv) 2022.

Nick Gibb: The Department has invested over £100 million to support the quality of computing teaching through the creation of the National Centre for Computing Education. This has provided a computing hub network and high quality training and resources for pre and in service teachers.Information on the school workforce, including the number of subject teachers in state funded secondary schools and the overall number of teachers joining and leaving the state funded sector, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.As at November 2022, the latest data available, there were 7,529 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers teaching computer science, and 6,179 FTE teachers teaching information, computing and technology (ICT) in state funded secondary schools. It is important to note that it is possible for teachers to teach both subjects, therefore, some may be counted in both of these figures.FTE teachers of computer science and ICT1 in statefunded secondary schools 2018/19 to 2021/222YearComputer ScienceICT2022/237,5296,1792021/226,5736,6912020/216,0496,6702019/204,3058,0692018/193,9548,834Source: School Workforce Census, published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/8bcbf8de-57df-4ae4-8a65-08db7860a436. 1: Teachers were counted once against each subject. Therefore, teachers may be counted against both computer science and ICT2: Computer science was introduced as a new code from 2017/18 to reflect reformed GCSEs.The requested figures for leavers and joiners by subject taught are not available.47,954 teachers joined the state funded school sector for 2022/23, up by 3,943 since last year.43,997 teachers left the state funded sector in 2021/22, up by 7,818 since last year.Leavers are defined as qualified teachers leaving the state funded sector in England, for example due to a change of career or joining other UK education sectors, and those leaving on career breaks such as maternity leave or secondments outside of the school sector. Some of these teachers may later rejoin a state funded school in England.Almost 9 in 10 (87.2%) teachers who qualified in 2021 are still teaching one year after qualification. Almost 8 in 10 (76.1%) teachers who qualified three years ago are still teaching, and almost 7 in 10 (68.7%) teachers who qualified five years ago are still teaching.It is the Department’s priority to make sure that teachers not only stay in the profession, but thrive in it. The Department has taken action to improve teacher and leader workload, working with the profession to understand and address longstanding issues around marking, planning and data management. The Department continues to work proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind workload and wellbeing issues and improve our policies and interventions.The Department is supporting schools to act and remove unhelpful practice that creates unnecessary workload. The Department School Workload Reduction Toolkit, developed alongside headteachers, is a helpful resource for schools to review and reduce workload.The Department also worked in partnership with the education sector and mental health experts to create the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter. The Department is encouraging schools to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing. So far, 2,600 schools have signed up to the Charter.

Department for Education: Written Questions

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Questions 190162 and 190163 on Schools: Buildings, tabled by the hon. Member for Twickenham on 19 June 2023.

Nick Gibb: I can confirm that responses to Questions 190162 and 190163 have been provided to the hon. Member for Twickenham.

Schools: Buildings

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department uses to determine whether a school should close following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Nick Gibb: The safety of pupils and staff is vital. The Department has work in progress with schools to identify and manage Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).It is the responsibility of those who run schools to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools. This is typically academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary aided school bodies .They should alert the Department if there is a serious concern with a building.In cases where RAAC is confirmed and if it poses an immediate risk to occupants, Responsible Bodies are advised to take spaces out of use with immediate effect, based on the professional advice of structural engineers. Decisions to close one or more buildings at a school are made by the school’s Responsible Body.The Department has been talking to schools about the potential risks of RAAC since 2018 when it first published a warning note with the Local Government Association.Since then, the Department has published guidance in identifying and managing RAAC and has asked all Local Authorities, academy trusts, and other bodies responsible for schools to share their knowledge of RAAC, its presence in their buildings, and how they are managing it.The Department will continue to work with responsible bodies, schools, and colleges to support them through the process of investigation, assessment, and management of RAAC.

Schools: Buildings

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state-funded schools have (a) temporarily or (b) permanently closed (i) all or (ii) part of their school site due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete since 1 January 2023; and which schools were affected.

Nick Gibb: The safety of pupils and staff is paramount. Where it is suspected that reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is present in a school, the Department takes swift action based on professional advice. In cases where RAAC is confirmed, the Department provides rapid support to schools on the advice of structural engineers. This could include funding capital works to remove any immediate risk and, where absolutely necessary, the provision of temporary buildings. Longer term remediation of RAAC is supported by capital funding provided to the sector, the Department’s rebuilding programme, and urgent capital support.It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary aided school bodies – to manage the maintenance of their schools and alert the Department if there is a concern with a building. Local Authorities and academy trusts do not need to report building closures to the Department, but the Department provides support on a case by case basis, working with the sector if it is alerted to a serious safety issue. This includes when schools have closed part, or all of the site for a period of time once RAAC is confirmed. In most cases this is for a number of days as opposed to a longer closure. The number of schools this has applied to is changing regularly with ongoing activity to mitigate the impact, including minimising any short term impact on education.The Department provides support to schools and responsible bodies and has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to keep schools safe and operational. This includes £1.8 billion committed this financial year, informed by consistent data on the school estate. In addition, the Department’s School Rebuilding Programme will transform 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition.

School Teachers' Review Body

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to the 2023 report of the School Teachers Review Body.

Nick Gibb: As part of the normal pay round process, the independent School Teachers’ Review Body has submitted its report and recommendations to the government on teacher pay for the 2023/24 academic year. The department is considering the recommendations and will publish our response and the report in the usual way, in due course.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the of the Concluding Observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of the UK to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, published on 22 June 2023, whether the Prime Minister has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Minister for Children to the Cabinet with ministerial responsibility for monitoring and coordinating activities related to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Claire Coutinho: As set out in the list of Ministerial Responsibilities, the Department for Education is the lead department responsible for protecting and supporting children, working with other departments on the basis of collective responsibility. The Secretary of State for Education is a member of the Cabinet.The government strives to find new ways to promote children’s rights and recognises that strengthening children’s rights is a continuous process. The government welcomes the constructive challenge that was made by the Committee in Geneva and will take into careful consideration the Concluding Observations, including how we further monitor and coordinate Children’s Rights across the UK.

Overseas Students: Cost of Living

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to international students to meet the increased cost of living.

Robert Halfon: As set out in the Government's International Education Strategy, the department is committed to working with the higher education (HE) sector to enhance the international student experience to ensure they have an enjoyable and valuable experience whilst in the UK. The International Education Strategy can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-potential-global-growth/international-education-strategy-global-potential-global-growth.In addition, universities provide a range of dedicated support to their international students pre-arrival, on-arrival and during their studies.As set out in Home Office guidance, international students who come to the UK on a student visa are required to have money to support themselves for the duration of their studies. Further information on student visa requirements can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa. Eligible international students can also access providers’ hardship funds, should they need to do so.Generally, to qualify for HE student support from Student Finance England, a person resident in England must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. This includes persons who are covered by the European Union Withdrawal Agreement, have long residence in the UK or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK.

Pupils: Attendance

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children did not attend (a) primary and (b) secondary school in Worcestershire in (i) 2018-19 and (ii) 2022-23.

Nick Gibb: As defined in the Section 436A of the Education Act 1996, children missing education (CME) are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.The data shows that 1,310 children were CME, and 1,500 children were electively home educated in Worcestershire at any point in the 2021/22 academic year, the only year for which data is currently available. The data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education, and at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education.The Department also started collecting data on the number of school attendance orders (SAOs) in 2022. The number of SAOs issued in Worcestershire in 2021/22 has been suppressed in line with the Department’s publication methodology. This means that the figure is not zero, but rounds to zero. This is the only year for which data is currently available.

National Tutoring Programme

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) refocussing the National Tutoring Programme to reach those children who need the most help and (b) ringfencing specific funding to support early intervention and expert literacy work to help close the attainment gap for pupils.

Nick Gibb: Since 2020, the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) has delivered over 3 million courses of tutoring to pupils most in need of catch up following the effect of COVID-19. There is extensive evidence that tutoring is one of the most effective ways to accelerate academic progress. This is why the Department is investing more than £1 billion in tutoring, so that pupils can catch up through accessing high quality tuition.The Department’s guidance for the NTP in 2022/23 sets out that schools are expected to prioritise their Pupil Premium cohort to receive tutoring, in line with the programme’s objective of supporting disadvantaged pupils. Schools are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and so may also consider offering tuition to other pupils, where appropriate. Since the programme was launched in 2020, the Department estimates that 49.8% of pupils who have received tuition through the NTP have been eligible for free school meals in the past 6 years.The NTP allows schools to have autonomy in deciding what subjects to deliver tutoring in. In primary schools, a high proportion of tutoring is delivered in English and mathematics. Schools are also able to choose how best to provide tutoring for their pupils, either through academic mentors, outsourced tuition partners or school led tutoring.Closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is a priority for the Department. A large majority of school leaders across all three tutoring routes reported that the NTP was having a positive effect on reducing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils, including 85% of those doing school led tutoring, which is the most popular route under the NTP.In addition, the Department has funded £17 million to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme, improving the language skills of Reception age pupils. The programme targets pupils needing extra support with their speech and language development and is proven to help them make approximately three months of additional progress. Over two thirds of eligible mainstream primary schools are taking part in this evidence based programme, benefitting around 90,000 children who are most in need of language support.The Department has committed that from 2024, tutoring will be embedded across schools in England. The Department is expecting tutoring to continue to be a staple offer from schools, with schools using their core budgets, including Pupil Premium, to fund targeted support for those pupils who will most benefit.

Specialist Schools

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of specialist schools are approved (a) 1, (b) 2-3, (c) 4-5 and (d) more than 6 months after their first registration.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the current waiting time is for the registration of new specialist schools; and what recent steps she is taking to speed up the process.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with providers of specialist schools to discuss the registration process for new specialist schools.

Nick Gibb: The Specialist Schools Programme ended in 2011. Archive information on the programme is available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20100106023420/http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools/.

Department of Health and Social Care

Electronic Cigarettes: Packaging

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require all vape devices to be sold in plain colour.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electronic Cigarettes: Packaging

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to introduce plain packaging for vaping devices.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

IVF

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken with NHS England to remove non-clinical eligibility criteria for IVF treatment.

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that access to IVF is (a) fair and (b) equal in Ealing Central and Acton constituency.

Maria Caulfield: Funding decisions for health services in England, including IVF, are made by Integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population.The Women’s Health Strategy was published in August 2022 and contained a number of important changes and future ambitions to improve the variations in access to NHS funded fertility services.We will improve access to IVF by removing the additional financial burden on female same-sex couples accessing treatment. We will be working with NHS England to assess fertility provision across ICBs, with a view to removing non-clinical access criteria. We will also work with stakeholders to improve information provision on fertility and fertility treatments, including on the NHS website, and introduce greater transparency of the local provision of IVF.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ban the use of vaping devices in vehicles that contain children.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish guidance to Integrated Care Boards on the availability of antivirals for immunocompromised patients with a covid infection.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electronic Cigarettes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ban vaping in all public indoor spaces.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ban all vape advertising.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medicine: Students

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of medical school places.

Will Quince: This NHS Long Term Workforce Plan recently published by NHS England sets out an aim to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 places a year by 2031/32, and to work towards this expansion by increasing places by a third, to 10,000 a year, by 2028/29.This will build on the recent increase in number of medical school places the Government has funded. There are now an additional 1,500 medical school places per year for domestic students in England – a 25% increase, taking the total number of medical school places in England to 7,500 each year. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and delivered five new medical schools in England.

Diabetes

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are diagnosed as being diabetic; and what estimate he has made of the number of such people in 2030.

Helen Whately: The below table shows the most recent data on the number of people in England with a diabetes diagnosis.In 2016, Public Health England published the estimated number of people aged 16 years old or older, who would have diabetes in England in 2030, would be 4.8 million, a prevalence of 9.3% Diabetes typeEnglandType 1270,935Type 2 and other3,336,980Total3,607,920  Notes: Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the National Diabetes Audit publication – all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’. Consequently, totals may not sum.Diabetes type is reported as ‘Type 1’ and ‘Type 2 and other’ within the National Diabetes Audit.‘Type 1’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 1 diabetes in the National Diabetes Audit .‘Type 2 and other’ includes where a person is recorded as having Type 2 diabetes, Maturity-onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), other or non-specified diabetes in the NDA.Country (England or Wales) was mapped from the organisation that submitted the person’s National Diabetes Audit record.The National Diabetes Audit audit year 2021-22 ran from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Hospices: Finance

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that levels of funding for hospices adequately take into account variations in (a) service provision and (b) regional need.

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support the hospice movement.

Helen Whately: While the National Health Service has been required to commission appropriate palliative and end of life care services to meet the reasonable needs of the population, as part of the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government added palliative care services to the list of services an integrated care board must commission, to clarify this responsibility. NHS England has actively increased its support to local commissioners to improve the accessibility, quality and sustainability of palliative and end of life care for all. This has included the publication of statutory guidance and service specifications. NHS England is investing £25 million in the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant this year, to provide care closer to home for those seriously ill as and when they need it. NHS England has now confirmed that it will be renewing the grant for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million grant funding for children’s hospices. NHS England will confirm the funding mechanism and individual hospice allocations in due course. The Government, alongside key partners, NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues they face.

Carers

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of publishing a plan to help support unpaid carers.

Helen Whately: The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers and local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer.The enormous contribution made by unpaid carers is reflected throughout Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care published April 2023.

Integrated Care Systems

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that health inequalities are not exacerbated (a) during and (b) after transition to new Integrated care systems.

Helen Whately: The Health and Care Act 2022 established integrated care boards (ICBs) and sets out a specific duty for ICBs in Section 14Z35 to reduce inequalities. It states that each ICB must, in the exercise of its functions, have regard to the need to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.ICBs and its partner trusts are also expected to seek the views of underserved groups during formulation of their Joint Forward Plans.NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB and publish a summary of its findings. In undertaking this assessment, NHS England will consider how successfully each ICB has discharged its duties set out by the Act including the duty as to reducing inequalities. The annual assessment for 2022/23 is expected to be completed by end of July 2023 and will be shared with ICB chairs. NHS England will also publish the outcome of all annual assessments within its own annual report.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the British Heart Foundation in its analysis entitled, Excess deaths involving CVD in England since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic: an analysis and explainer, published in June 2023, if he will make an assessment of the factors contributing to excess deaths involving cardiovascular disease since the start of the pandemic.

Helen Whately: Evidence on excess mortality attributable to non-COVID-19 related causes implies that it is likely due to a combination of factors. This may include disruption to routine care during the first two years of the pandemic, lifestyle factors and disruption to emergency care and urgent elective procedures.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by the British Heart Foundation entitled Excess deaths involving CVD in England since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic: an analysis and explainer, published in June 2023, what assessment he has made of the causes of the changes in the level of cardiovascular disease since the start of the pandemic in England.

Helen Whately: Evidence on excess mortality attributable to non-COVID-19 related causes implies that it is likely due to a combination of factors. This may include disruption to routine care during the first two years of the pandemic, lifestyle factors and disruption to emergency care and urgent elective procedures.

Cardiovascular Diseases: Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce pressures on NHS cardiovascular care services.

Helen Whately: The Government is taking action to reduce pressure on NHS cardiovascular care services by: supporting local authorities to recover NHS Health Checks, England’s national cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme; investing nearly £17 million for the development and roll-out of an innovative new digital NHS Health Check that will enable more people to have a check and free up NHS staff time; rolling out free blood pressure checks to people over the age of 40 in community pharmacies to detect thousands more people living with hypertension earlier. CVD will form a part of the Government’s Major Conditions Strategy which will focus on conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England. The Strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that underpin a shift to integrated, whole-person care, building on measures that we have already taken forward through the NHS Long Term Plan. Interventions set out in the Strategy will aim to alleviate pressure on the health system, as well as support the government’s objective to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the British Heart Foundation in its analysis entitled, Excess deaths involving CVD in England since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic: an analysis and explainer, published in June 2023.

Helen Whately: Between March 2020 and May 2023 cardiovascular disease was a significant contributor to excess deaths. That is why we are going further to empower and support people to manage their heart health risks through the development of a digital NHS Health Check, and have appointed Professor Deanfield to lead work to develop an ambitious approach to personalised prevention. We will consider the implications of the British Heart Foundation’s findings for policy through the development of the Government’s forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce pressure on NHS cardiovascular care services.

Helen Whately: The Government is taking action to reduce pressure on NHS cardiovascular care services by supporting local authorities to recover NHS Health Checks, England’s national cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme; investing nearly £17 million for the development and roll-out of an innovative new digital NHS Health Check that will enable more people to have a check and free up NHS staff time; rolling out free blood pressure checks to people over the age of 40 in community pharmacies to detect thousands more people living with hypertension earlier. CVD will form a part of the Government’s Major Conditions Strategy which will focus on conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England. The Strategy will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that underpin a shift to integrated, whole-person care, building on measures that we have already taken forward through the NHS Long Term Plan. Interventions set out in the Strategy will aim to alleviate pressure on the health system, as well as support the government’s objective to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity.

Hypermobility

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of (i) Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and (ii) hypermobility spectrum disorder.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made.

Integrated Care Systems

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help to ensure areas of higher deprivation receive the necessary support to continue current services within the Integrated care systems.

Helen Whately: The Government is committed to supporting individuals to live healthier lives and established integrated care systems (ICSs) to improve outcomes in population health including by tackling health inequalities. ICSs bring together a wide range of partners to help plan and deliver well-joined up care and to ensure that population health needs are met. Within ICSs, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning healthcare services and have a duty to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services. Furthermore, when planning healthcare services, ICBs must also have due regard to the Integrated Care Strategy. The Integrated Care Strategy is prepared by the Integrated Care Partnership and should include measures to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and experiences across the whole population, including addressing the wider determinants of health and wellbeing.

Incontinence: Products

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2023 to Question 186358 on Incontinence: Products, whether the (a) quality specifications and (b) Rothwell scale applied to the procurement of absorbent incontinence products include scoring of (i) ease of use, (ii) comfort, (iii) comparative reduction in leakages and (iv) quality of life and health outcomes.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2023 to Question 186358 on Incontinence: Products, whether the value for money and affordability approach adopted for the assessment of absorbent continence products takes into account the extent to which variability in product leakages affects (a) whole system costs for (i) laundry of bed linen and (ii) clothing, (b) change in staff time associated with leaks, (c) costs associated with risks of (A) skin infections and (B) pressure ulcers and (d) costs associated with the variation in the length of stays in hospital associated with products under evaluation for procurement.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2023 to Question 186357 on Incontinence: Products, whether the most economically advantageous tender approach takes into account whole system costs; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of this approach on (a) product innovation, (b) patient quality of life and health outcomes, (c) resilience in the supply chain and (d) whole system costs.

Will Quince: The Rothwell scale is an industry standard to measure the working absorbency of disposable continence products, enabling transparency and comparability of products fluid management. Subjective quality metrics like ease of use and comfort, will be user dependent. Objective elements that contribute to subjective elements such as comfort are included. For example, specifications include elasticated flexible sides, guard channels to reduce leakage, super absorbent polymers to remove fluid from skin contact. When a trust selects a supplier, the trust will evaluate potential suppliers on the framework. The above listed benefits of leakage reductions are expected to be observed during the pilots scheduled for the value-based procurement projects. Products listed vary in size, shape and absorbency, and this reflects the “need” of the individual as the level and degree of incontinence of the individual will aid the type of continence product used and/or the frequency with which it is renewed. The current framework for disposable continence products has been extended for 24 months, with an expiry date of August 2025. Strategies for the next framework agreement are due to begin imminently, with the above listed criteria included.

Paramedical Staff: West Midlands

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has provided to the West Midlands Ambulance Service Student's Paramedic Apprenticeship Programme in the latest period for which data is available.

Will Quince: The Department does not provide levy funding for apprenticeships. HM Revenue & Customs collect Apprenticeship Levy payments and funding is allocated and drawn down by employers via the Department for Education.

NHS: Consultants

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding that 58 per cent of consultant physicians who took part in the Royal College of Physicians Census 2023 reported having vacant consultant posts.

Will Quince: We are growing the workforce, with 1,872 (3.5%) more consultants in NHS trusts and commissioning bodies than last year. The Government recently published the Long Term Workforce Plan. The plan includes projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed for the next 15 years, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity. This plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.We value the work of NHS consultants. To grow numbers further, from Autumn, recently retired consultant doctors will have a new option to offer their availability to trusts across England, to support delivery of outpatient care, through the NHS Emeritus Doctor Scheme.

Community Diagnostic Centres

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of each type of diagnostic test has been provided in each Community Diagnostic Centre in each month since January 2020.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the diagnostic tests being provided by each Community Diagnostic Centre operational as of 4 May 2023.

Helen Whately: Diagnostic Tests undertaken at Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) is shown in the attached table. The table lists each type of diagnostic test provided in each CDC that is or was operational since June 2021, as well as how many of each test has been carried out at each CDC, as of June 2023. As the first CDCs were rolled out in July 2021, it is not possible to provide data prior to this. There are 108 CDCs currently operational that have delivered over 4 million additional tests as of June 2023 including large, standard and hub models.Attachment (xlsx, 5672.6KB)

Cancer: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle inequalities in cancer outcomes between integrated care board areas.

Helen Whately: Reducing variation in cancer treatment is a strategic priority for the NHS Cancer Programme. There are four long-running audits on lung, oesophago-gastric, bowel and prostate cancer and the NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned five new cancer clinical audits, covering ovarian, pancreatic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney, and primary and metastatic breast cancers. These will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The Royal College of Surgeons began work on this audit in October last year with the first outcomes expected in 2024.

Cancer: Blood Tests

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide blood tests to help detect cancer.

Helen Whately: Blood tests are used to support the diagnoses of many conditions and diseases, including cancer. For example, tests such as the Full Blood Count can be used to inform the diagnoses of blood cancers and other tests detect blood proteins that can be indicative of the body’s immune system response to the presence of cancer cells.The science and understanding of cancer is advancing, as are the opportunities to detect cancer in patients with no symptoms using blood tests. The Grail-Galleri trial, that aims to help the National Health Service with research into early cancer detection in patients without symptoms, is an example of this advancement.

Cancer: Mortality Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Major Conditions Strategy will maintain the aim of increasing cancer survival by 55,000 by 2028.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Major Conditions Strategy will maintain the aim of raising the diagnostic rate from 50 to 75 per cent for grades 1 and 2 cancers.

Helen Whately: The Government and NHS England remain committed to the Long-Term Plan cancer ambitions of diagnosing 75% of cancers at stage 1 and 2 by 2028. Achieving this will mean that, from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis. The latest published data shows this was at 52% between January 2020 to December 2020.The Major Conditions Strategy will look at treatment and prevention of cancer, covering the patient pathway. The strategy will consider a wide range of interventions and enablers to improve outcomes and experience for cancer patients.This Strategy will draw on previous work on cancer, including over 5,000 submissions provided to the Department as part of our Call for Evidence last year. The summary of responses to the Call for Evidence was published on 17 May.

Bootham Park Hospital

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) undertake a local consultation on the future of and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a community auction on the Bootham Park Hospital site.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to sell the Bootham Park Hospital site for use as a community asset.

Will Quince: NHS Property Services (NHSPS), who own the Bootham Park Hospital site, intend to remarket the property shortly after the prospective purchaser withdrew from the sale contract at the end of March 2023. There has been an extensive local consultation process with the public and other stakeholders to secure the planning permission for the site which was approved by City of York Council in February 2023.Whilst the former Botham Park Hospital has been declared surplus to healthcare requirements, if other public sector bodies wish to purchase the property to facilitate the delivery of alternative public services from the building, they would be able to register their interest and make an offer. This will be assessed by NHSPS through the process for sale of surplus assets in accordance with requirements set out in Annex 4.15 of HM Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money.

NHS: Mental Health Services

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of one year’s transitional ring-fenced funding for NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs to allow time for those hubs to source alternative funding.

Will Quince: NHS England has secured funding for one year on a non-recurrent basis to support staff mental health and wellbeing hubs in 2023/24. Staff mental health and wellbeing hubs were established in October 2020 with funding subsequently extended to March 2023. They were funded on a non-recurrent basis in response to the pressure on the workforce from COVID-19. NHS England has identified further national funding to maintain support for staff mental health as part of the transition towards a sustainable model for staff health and wellbeing support which is based on a preventative, local level approach.

Vaccination

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the time taken to (a) license and (b) roll out vaccines; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of accelerating this process.

Helen Whately: National licensing applications for vaccines follow the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) accelerated 150-day timetable for new medicines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a public health need for fast access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, these vaccines were licensed in the shortest time possible via rolling review, while maintaining the MHRA’s standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. Where there is a public health need for the accelerated roll out of a new vaccine, the MHRA will prioritise and expedite the assessment of the licensing application, using rolling review where applicable.The Government is committed to supporting the timely delivery of our vaccination programmes to fully protect the public from vaccine preventable diseases. It is important that the implementation of any new programme is sufficiently planned and prepared for to ensure the stability of the programme. There is no set timeline for the implementation of a new programme or for changes to an existing programme. Instead, a holistic and systems approach is taken to support best possible public health protection.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of implications for his policies of the findings of the report by the British Heart Foundation entitled Excess deaths involving CVD in England since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic: an analysis and explainer, published in June 2023 .

Helen Whately: Between March 2020 and May 2023 cardiovascular disease was a significant contributor to excess deaths. That is why we are going further to empower and support people to manage their heart health risks through the development of a digital NHS Health Check, and have appointed Professor Deanfield to lead work to develop an ambitious approach to personalised prevention. We will also consider the implications of the British Heart Foundation’s report findings through the development of the Government’s forthcoming Major Conditions Strategy.

Anxiety: LGBT+ People

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support people who identify as LGBTQ+ with anxiety.

Maria Caulfield: We remain committed to the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan, investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services in England by March 2024. This extra funding will enable an extra two million people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+ with anxiety, to be treated by NHS mental health services by March 2024. This includes £110 million to expand adult mental health services including NHS Talking Therapies.In 2021/22, there were 1.81 million referrals to talking therapies (IAPT) in England, up 24.5% from the previous year and 1.24 million referrals started a course of treatment within this year.We also provided an additional £500 million in 2021/22 to accelerate our expansion plans in order to address waiting times for mental health services, give more people the mental health support they need, and invest in the NHS workforce.

Prisoners: Drugs

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prisoners were transferred from prison to hospital due to a drug overdose in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Maria Caulfield: This information requested is not held centrally.

Employment Schemes: Mental Illness

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to extend the Individual Placement and Support scheme to people who are experiencing mental ill-health and are out of work.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to her on 8 June 2023 to question 187552.

Influenza: Vaccination

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of 50-64 year olds not being eligible for a free flu vaccination in winter 2023.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Advice on influenza vaccinations for 2023-24 issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in November 2022 on funding influenza vaccinations for people aged between 50 and 64 years.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has modelled the potential impact of providing free vaccinations to people aged 50-64 on NHS resource utilisation in the 2023-24 winter period.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason his Department has chosen not to include all 50-64 year-olds in the eligible cohort for the 2023 to 2024 flu vaccination programme.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will reconsider its decision to change flu vaccine eligibility for people aged 50 to 64.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the approach to the seasonal flu vaccination programme in England. Details about the flu vaccination programme for 2023/24, including which groups will be eligible for a free vaccine and the vaccines that will be reimbursable to National Health Service providers, were published on 25 May 2023. The groups eligible for a free flu vaccine for the 2023 to 2024 season include those aged 65 years and over and those aged six months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups.During the COVID-19 pandemic, eligibility for the influenza programme was temporarily extended to include all adults aged between 50 and 64 years of age to protect the population from the potential threat of cocirculation of COVID-19 and influenza and alleviate pressure on the NHS. In the JCVI’s advice for the 2023/24 programme published in November 2022, it stated that whilst there would be a health benefit in vaccinating low risk 50-64 year olds, it is uncertain whether this would be cost effective and that the overall priority should be to extend the childhood programme in secondary schools as this would be more cost effective and likely to have a greater impact on morbidity and mortality compared with vaccinating 50-64 year olds. An expansion to secondary school-aged children is being considered and should this be confirmed, further details will be set out in due course.The Department has not conducted its own modelling on the potential impact of providing free vaccinations to people aged 50-64 on NHS resource utilisation in the 2023-24 winter period but is guided by JCVI advice on cost-effectiveness. Anyone who is clinically at-risk is still entitled to a flu vaccination this year – it is only healthy 50–64-year-olds who are no longer eligible. The expansion of the seasonal flu programme to include low-risk 50–64-year-olds was a temporary measure to ensure more people were protected from a potential threat of co-circulation of COVID-19 and the flu virus and the department also sought to reduce pressure on the NHS. As we have now transitioned to living with COVID-19 with a firmly established vaccination programme in place to protect the most vulnerable, temporary expansions to the flu programme are no longer required.The Department does not expect to reconsider this decision but will continue to be guided by JCVI advice on this matter.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were awaiting treatment from the NHS for an (a) illness and (b) injury that was causing them to be economically inactive as of June 2023.

Will Quince: The data is not held in the format requested.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to support small businesses through the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access.

Will Quince: The voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) includes strong commercial incentives in the form of freedom of list pricing and exemptions from payments for medicines containing a new active substance. Smaller companies are specifically supported through payment exemptions for those with under £5 million sales and a taper for companies between £5 million and £25 million sales.

Electric Scooters: Injuries

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many injuries have been recorded by the NHS related to e-scooters.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally.

Public Health: International Cooperation

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Public Health emergency: the need for a holistic approach to multilateralism and health care at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.

Will Quince: No assessment has been made on this debate at this point, but we continue to work closely with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on global health issues and governance raised in the relevant debate discussed including negotiations on the targeted amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) and the new Pandemic Instrument at the World Health Organization and in preparation for the High Level Meetings at the United Nations General Assembly in September.The United Kingdom continues to negotiate the text of the Pandemic Instrument and the amendments to the IHR to ensure they delivers on our priorities and provide the tools to achieve improvements globally in key areas of health emergency preparedness, prevention, and response. The Department of Health and Social Care also works closely with the Department for Business and Trade on health related issues linked to the World Trade Organization.

NHS: Recruitment

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the 2023-24 NHS pay offer on NHS recruitment.

Will Quince: Recruitment data is not yet available following the acceptance of the Agenda for Change pay deal, therefore no direct assessment has been made.

Hypothermia

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ambulance call outs for hypothermic conditions have been made by each health authority in each quarter since the start of 2021.

Will Quince: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Processed Food

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment impact of ultra processed foods on people's health.

Neil O'Brien: The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy balanced diet in line with the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. UK Government dietary guidelines are based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its position statement in the summer of 2023. There is currently no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. However, a diet high in foods classified as processed is often high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Cabinet Office

Import Controls: Food

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on levels of food waste.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed border target operating model on the availability of food.

Alex Burghart: The Border Target Operating Model proposes a new control regime for imports of animal and plant products. It will implement an innovative, risk-based approach to border controls for imports ensuring that goods can flow and checks, delays and waste are minimised.As set out in our Food Strategy published in 2022, the resilience and reliability of food supply chains is a key objective of this Government.The draft Border Target Operating Model was developed with input from business. Our innovative and risk-based approach to border controls will limit complexity for businesses, whilst providing the critical border controls that will keep the UK safe from a range of biosecurity, human health and security threats.Many food products will require no new certification or checks, and where they are needed importers will be able to complete them more simply. Some businesses may need to adapt their business models, and we will support them to do that.

Cabinet Office: Crown Commercial Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the total (a) number and (b) value of contracts arranged under Crown Commercial Service frameworks (i) RM3774 and (ii) RM6125 in each of the last five financial years.

Alex Burghart: This information is publicly available on Contracts Finder. Individual contracts are between customer authorities and suppliers directly, and it is the responsibility of customer authorities to publish contracting information on Contracts Finder and/or other transparency platforms.

Cabinet Office: PeopleScout

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the statement of requirements for the provision of advertising, media-buying and creative services to be delivered under the terms of the contract CCCS22A10 agreed between his Department and Peoplescout Ltd on 15 May 2023.

Alex Burghart: The statement of requirements is publicly available on Contracts Finder and can be found at the following link:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/49a728c8-1eca-4b96-8114-ba3e5555e5a3?origin=SearchResults&p=1

Civil Service: Recruitment

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Civil Service Fast Stream participants were allocated placements outside of London in the latest period for which information is available.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Civil Service Fast Stream participants that have graduated from the scheme in the last five years had a home location at application stage that was (a) outside of London and (b) outside of London and the South East.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Civil Service Fast Stream participants that have graduated from the scheme in the last five years attended (a) non-selective state schools, (b) selective state schools, (c) independent or fee-paying schools with a bursary and (d) independent or fee-paying school without a bursary.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of Civil Servants that graduated the Fast Stream in the last five years have (a) parents or (b) guardians with (i) degree-level qualifications, (ii) qualifications below degree level and (iii) no formal qualifications.

Jeremy Quin: In the Spring 2023 rotation, 30.0% of Civil Service Fast Stream participants were allocated placements outside of London. We do not hold data for Fast Stream participants who have graduated in the last five years in respect of; home location at application stage, school type, or parental education data.

Open Government Partnership

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has provided evidence to the Open Government Partnership Independent Reporting Mechanism of meeting the minimum standards during implementation of the 2021-23 Action Plan.

Alex Burghart: Evidence of the UK meeting the Open Government Partnership’s (OGP) minimum participation requirements for the implementation of the Fifth National Action Plan for Open Government (NAP5) was sent to OGP on 29th June. This follows the latest meeting of the UK’s Multi-Stakeholder Forum on 22nd June which reviewed progress with implementing NAP5 and launched the co-creation process for the Sixth National Action Plan for Open Government (NAP6).

Animals: Import Controls

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the proposed border target operating model will apply to the movement of (a) pet reptiles, (b) amphibians and (c) invertebrates from the EU to the UK.

Alex Burghart: The draft Border Target Operating Model covers the commercial import of live animals. It would apply to these species if they were commercially imported, for example for onward sale. However, non-commercial imports of these species as pets are out of scope and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs will confirm the policy in due course.

Prime Minister: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 189509 on Prime Minister: Aviation, in which section of his Department's quarterly ministerial transparency data can details of domestic flights taken by the Prime Minister be found.

Alex Burghart: I would like to clarify the response to Question 189509, quarterly ministerial transparency data includes details of overseas travel. The Government's position on domestic flights is set out in the answer of 24 February 2023, PQ 143904.

Cabinet Office: OMD Group

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the statement of requirements for the provision of media planning agency procurement to be delivered under the terms of the contract CCIT23A11 agreed between his Department and OMD Group Ltd on 5 May 2023.

Alex Burghart: The statement of requirements is publicly available on Contracts Finder and can be found at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/e9ef9bd3-69f4-4371-97d0-a00853bf4fb4?origin=SearchResults&p=1

Office for Veterans' Affairs: Civil Servants

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2023 to Question 189511 on Office for Veterans' Affairs: Civil Servants, where the information on the number and grades of civil servants who were working in the private office of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 15 May 2023 is published.

Johnny Mercer: Statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including regional, diversity and earnings data, are published every year on gov.uk, the last updated version was published in March 2023. On 15 May 2023, there were 4 members of private office staff to support the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.

Veterans: LGBT+ People

Dave Doogan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to (a) create and (b) promote mutually supportive networks among LGBT+ veterans.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is committed to ensuring that the service of every veteran is understood, valued and recognised. My officials and I regularly meet organisations that have created networks for LGBT veterans, and I strongly support these initiatives. In January 2022, we commissioned an Independent Review into the impact of the ban on LGBT personnel serving in the military, and we are currently considering the Review's findings.

Capita: Hacking

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to assess the impact of the data breach of Capita systems in March 2023 on Government Departments; and whether any Government data was compromised by the data breach.

Jeremy Quin: The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) have been working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Capita has acknowledged that some data was exfiltrated from less than 0.1% of its server estate; our understanding to date is that this includes a very limited impact to public sector data.

Cabinet Office: Members

Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 188915, what steps he is taking to increase compliance with the 20-day target across Departments.

Alex Burghart: Departments across government work to strict internal deadlines to ensure responses are progressed within 20 working days. The Guide to Handling Correspondence on gov.uk clearly sets out the importance this government attaches to the effective and efficient handling of correspondence received from Members. Whilst 4 weeks is the deadline to respond to correspondence, departments are encouraged to set more challenging deadlines. Officials working on correspondence across government departments are encouraged to engage regularly with policy officials, to ensure responses going out to Members are drafted and progressed as efficiently as possible. Cabinet Office regularly engages with correspondence officials in other Government departments to discuss performance and what may be impacting their performance. As set out in the response to Question 188915, Government Ministers are expected to respond quickly and effectively to Members’ correspondence and I will continue to drive that message. Every effort must be made to reply to correspondence promptly and within the original deadline.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Meters

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of households have had smart meters installed as of 28 June 2023, broken down by each local authority; and if he will publish that data on an annual basis in each of the next five years.

Amanda Solloway: The Department has recently published a map of installations broken down by local authority in its Q1 2023 statistics report, which can be accessed at www.gov.uk by searching for ‘Smart meters March 2023’.[1] Updated annual data on smart meter installation progress broken down by each local authority will next be published in Q1 2024. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/smart-meters-in-great-britain-quarterly-update-march-2023

Energy: Meters

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has to modernise dynamically teleswitched meters; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to those meters on energy price charging.

Amanda Solloway: The smart metering system in Great Britain has been designed to enable a range of flexible and dynamic tariffs that reward energy consumers for using electricity away from peak times, or when there is excess clean electricity available. Suppliers are in the process of contacting consumers using the Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) to encourage them to upgrade to smart meters. This upgrade will ensure continued access to ‘time of use’ tariffs, including Economy 7. All smart meters can support tariffs which charge different prices throughout the day and night. The RTS will remain operational until at least 31st March 2024.

Energy Bills Rebate: Voucher Schemes

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to extend the expiry deadline of 30 June 2023 by which existing electricity vouchers issued to pre-payment customers were due to be used.

Graham Stuart: In Northern Ireland, electricity suppliers have been providing a £600 payment to domestic contract customers since January, with this Scheme closing on 30 June. The design of the scheme and the nature of the electricity market has meant that voucher redemption has been very successful. Redemption rates rapidly rose to in excess of 90% shortly after launch. The Department worked with suppliers, consumer groups and charities in Northern Ireland to publicise and raise awareness of the voucher deadline to ensure all eligible households redeemed their vouchers, right up until the end of the Scheme.

Energy Bills Rebate

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State what steps his Department is taking to encourage households to redeem vouchers for the Energy Bill Support Scheme.

Graham Stuart: The Department worked with stakeholders throughout the Scheme to ensure every effort was made to reach all eligible households. A voucher day campaign was launched at the end of May that included articles in national and regional newspapers, posters in major train stations and TV and radio interviews with Ministers across the country to increase the voucher redemption rate. As of 1 June, 98% of vouchers since EBSS launched in October had been delivered to eligible customers and 85% of these had been redeemed. Vouchers needed to be redeemed by 30 June, when the Scheme closed.

Home Office

Missing Persons: Racial Discrimination

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent of racial disparities in investigations of missing person cases.

Miss Sarah Dines: People that go missing include some of the most vulnerable in our society. The Government is determined that missing people and their families receive the best possible protection and support from statutory agencies, including law enforcement, Government, and the voluntary sector.The Government acknowledges that the most recent data published by the National Crime Agency, covering the period 2020-21, indicated that Black people are disproportionately affected by missing incidents: http://missingpersons.police.uk/en-gb/resources/downloads/missing-persons-statistical-bulletins.This aligns with the findings from The Ethnicity of Missing People report, which also indicates the over-representation of Black children in care in missing reports.The National Police Chiefs’ Council is leading work with police forces across England and Wales, the charity ‘Missing People’ and the NCA Missing Persons Unit on the issue of racial disparity in relation to missing people. They are looking at local force data to identify any possible racial disparity issues and what action is needed to address these. This Government is focused on improving the police response to missing people from all backgrounds and on addressing racial and ethnic disparities, wherever these exist.

Offences against Children: Artificial Intelligence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to issue guidance on the application of legislation to child pornography generated by artificial intelligence.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Government recognises the many benefits Artificial Intelligence can provide across a range of sectors and our efforts to ensure public safety; however artificial intelligence also poses significant risks to our efforts to tackle the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).This Government remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse online and in our communities across the UK and internationally. Our approach is underpinned by the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy which sets out firm commitments to drive action across the whole system.The law in the UK is very clear with regards to production of child sexual abuse material. It is an offence to produce, store, share or search for any material that contains or depicts child sexual abuse, regardless of whether the material depicts a ‘real’ child or not. This prohibition also includes pseudo-imagery that may have been computer-generated.Furthermore, the Government is currently driving forward the Online Safety Bill which seeks to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The Online Safety Bill will, for the first time, place clear legal duties on technology companies to take proactive steps to identify, remove and prevent users encountering illegal content, including child sexual abuse content from platforms/services. AI-generated content is itself capable of amounting to a child sexual abuse offence regardless of whether it depicts a real child or not. Child sexual abuse offences are priority illegal offences in the Bill, and therefore tech companies are subject to proactive duties to identify and remove CSEA content. In addition, Ofcom can require tech companies to use specified technology to remove such content.Companies who fail to fulfil their legal duties will be held to account by an independent regulator, Ofcom, who will have strong enforcement powers including fines of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of qualifying annual global turnover (whichever is greater).

Home Office: Vivastreet

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2022 to Question 87795 on Home Office: Vivastreet, whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers from her Department have had (i) online and (ii) in-person meetings with representatives of other adult services websites in each year since 2017.

Miss Sarah Dines: Pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2022 to questions 87795 and 87796, Home Office officials attended an online Adult Services Websites (ASWs) industry event jointly organised with the National Crime Agency in June 2022, to discuss the provisions of the Online Safety Bill and the obligations it will place on companies. This event included representatives from the following ASWs and Classified Advertising Platforms: EuroGirlsEscort;Gumtree;Friday-Ad;Kommons;Locanto;Skokka; andYbirdsSince 2017, Ministers have not met with representatives of ASWs.

Asylum: Children

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June to Question 189803 on Asylum: Children and with reference to oral evidence given by ECPAT UK and Barnardos to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 21 June 2023, how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children (a) were being accommodated in Home Office hotels and (b) remained missing from Home Office hotels on 26 June.

Robert Jenrick: We take the safety of those in our care seriously. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all young people in hotels are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority.Young people are supported by team leaders and support workers who are on site 24 hours a day. Further care is provided in hotels by teams of social workers and nurses. All contingency sites have security staff on site 24/7 and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the welfare and safety of vulnerable residents.There were 154 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) missing as of 8 June 2023. The further data requested cannot be provided as it is from live operational databases, not published data.If any child goes missing, including an accompanied asylum seeking child, the MARS (Missing After Reasonable Steps) protocol is followed. A multi-agency, missing persons meeting is chaired by the local authority to establish the young person's whereabouts and to ensure that they are safe. Similar protocols within police forces have safely reduced the number of missing episodes from placements by 36%.The Home Office continue to work with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe. The police are responsible for locating any missing children.

Asylum: Applications

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims were waiting (a) between one and two years and (b) over two years for a decision to be made in May (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications awaiting initial decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that data is broken down by duration awaiting decision of ‘6 months or less’ and ‘more than 6 months’. Additionally, data is published quarterly and reflect the number of people awaiting a decision as at the end of the period, rather than the total throughout the period.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending March 2023.Data for the year ending June 2023 is scheduled to be published on 24 August 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.Alternatively, operational data on the total awaiting asylum initial decision WIP can be found in table ASY_02 of the ‘Immigration and protection data’ published as part of the ‘Migration transparency data’ release. This data includes further breakdown of duration awaiting decision (less than 3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months and 12 months+) and refers to applications made after 1st October 2006.

Asylum: St Helens

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to use Alexandra Business Park in St Helens to house asylum seekers.

Robert Jenrick: We are unable to disclose publicly the specific location of any of our asylum accommodation in order to maintain the privacy and security of those accommodated and of staff who support destitute asylum seekers.

Buildings: Fires

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information the Government holds on the number of fires in buildings potentially caused by disposable vapes.

Chris Philp: Data collected through the Fire and Rescue Service Incident RecordingSystem (IRS) does not include data on whether fire incidents attended were caused by or involved disposable vapes.The Home Office collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), with this data including the cause of the fire and the source of ignition but disposable vapes are not currently an option for source of ignition, the lowest level of granularity is smoking materials. This data is published in a variety of publications, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables

Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of detainees' access to medical services in the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre.

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of (a) self-harm, (b) suicide and (c) attempted suicide have been been recorded at Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last two years.

Robert Jenrick: In relation to the provision of healthcare in immigration removal centres (IRC), we take our responsibilities towards detained individuals’ health and welfare seriously. All IRCs have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses commissioned by NHS England and delivered to the equivalent quality standards as services are in the community. Every detained individual arriving at an IRC receives an initial healthcare screening within 2 hours of their arrival which identifies any immediate or long-term healthcare risks. Unless they decline, detained individuals in IRCs are given an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours. Clinical pathways into other healthcare services are initiated at this point depending on the outcomes of the reception screen, for example into mental health services. Detained individuals have full access to the 24-hour on-site healthcare team during their stay in the IRC. Continuation of healthcare provision is included in contingency planning to ensure access to healthcare in unexpected incidents or circumstances. All incidents of self-harm are treated very seriously, and every step is taken to prevent incidents of this nature. The Home Office requires IRC service providers to record management information on the number of incidents of self-harm that have required medical treatment. Information on incidents of self-harm which do not require medical treatment, or specifically, where the intent of the self-harm attempt is suicide, is not readily available from central statistical records.The Home Office publishes data on the number of deaths of people detained under immigration powers. Data for each year from 2017, are published in Migration Statistics Det_05 of the Detention summary tables. In the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021 (the latest two-year period for which published information is available), there were no deaths of individuals detained in the Heathrow IRCs. The next annual data set regarding deaths of people detained under immigration powers, covering 2022, will be published later this year.

Theft: Criminal Investigation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the average time taken in theft cases between the report of the theft and a charge being made in each year since 2012.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects information on the length of time it takes to assign an outcome, including an outcome of charge/summons, for offences recorded by the police in England and Wales.Information on the median number of days taken to assign a charge/summons outcome, broken down by offence group (including theft offences), are published ‘Crime outcomes in England and Wales’ since March 2018 in table 4.3 here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-statisticsFor the year ending December 2022, the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows the number of Theft offences down 47% when compared with the year ending March 2010, to 2.6 million incidents.

Asylum: Applications

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications awaiting an initial decision were lodged one year or longer ago; and how many asylum applications had not received an initial decision at the end of each month of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications awaiting initial decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note that data is broken down by duration awaiting decision of ‘6 months or less’ and ‘more than 6 months’. Additionally, data is published quarterly and reflect the number of people awaiting a decision as at the end of the period, rather than the total throughout the period.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending March 2023.Data for the year ending June 2023 is scheduled to be published on 24 August 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.Alternatively, operational data on the total awaiting asylum initial decision WIP can be found in table ASY_02 of the ‘Immigration and protection data’ published as part of the ‘Migration transparency data’ release. This data includes further breakdown of duration awaiting decision (less than 3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months and 12 months+) and refers to applications made after 1st October 2006.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the second stage of Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will open for referrals.

Robert Jenrick: The Government is committed to the resettlement of eligible Afghans. As of the end of March 2023, around 24,600 vulnerable people have been brought to the UK. This includes 21,004 individuals resettled under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. In the second stage of Pathway 3 of the ACRS, the UK government will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk. Further information will be published in due course. Our immediate focus is ensuring the resettlement of those eligible in the first stage of Pathway 3, which includes individuals who directly supported the UK and international community’s efforts in Afghanistan. We recognise there are many vulnerable individuals who remain in Afghanistan and the region. Unfortunately, the capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and difficult decisions about who will be prioritised have to be made.

Crime Prevention: Rural Areas

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date (a) she or (b) a minister in her Department last met with the National Rural Crime Network to discuss measures to tackle rural crime.

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last met the National Police Chiefs Council to discuss rural crime rates.

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last met the Neighbourhood Watch Network to discuss rural crime.

Chris Philp: The Government are committed to driving down rural crime. Whether someone lives in the countryside, a town, or a city, they should have the same peace of mind when going about their daily lives, and they should get the same high-quality service from the police if they fall victim to a crime.The Home Secretary, Ministers and officials meet with a range of stakeholders on a regular basis to discuss how best to tackle rural crime and are taking important steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing, and the Government is supporting the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill, which aims to prevent the theft of quad bikes and All-Terrain Vehicles. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit and new National Rural Crime Unit, which will support forces nationally in their response to rural crime such as theft of farming construction machinery, livestock theft and rural fly tipping.

Refugees: Rwanda

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the funding of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda she plans to report as Official Development Assistance.

Robert Jenrick: The funding for the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda is separate from, and additional to, the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget.

Community Policing: Standards

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of neighbourhood policing levels.

Chris Philp: This Government is giving forces the resources they need to police local communities and fight crime.At the end of March 2023, we successfully delivered our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional officers in England and Wales, which means we now have the highest number of officers on record.Decisions about how these officers are deployed are for Chief Constables, who are accountable to locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners and mayors with these functions.

Anti-social Behaviour

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure effective investigations by the police on incidents of antisocial behaviour.

Chris Philp: Mr Speaker, on 27 March, the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan, increasing funding for Police and Crime Commissioners by over £100m.The Plan will focus on making communities safer, building local pride, prevention, early intervention and improving data, reporting and accountability. These proposals will ensure perpetrators are investigated and punished, helping to restore pride in our communities.

Visas: Sudan

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's visa application processing times for Sudanese nationals who have travelled to a third country and have applied to join family members in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: Visa processing times for family migration applications are updated regularly on gov.uk.Refugee family reunion visa processing is currently outside of service standard. We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications and are reviewing our processes to streamline decision making to enable us to provide a better service to all our customers

Asylum: Employment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing all asylum seekers to work.

Robert Jenrick: Asylum seekers can work in the UK in occupations from the Shortage Occupation List if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own.Asylum seekers can volunteer, so long as it does not amount to unpaid work. There are safe & legal routes to work in the UK under the Points Based System.- The Home Office deployed over 300 immigration officers on a record breaking 140 enforcement visits in one day, resulting in 95 arrests.- In the first quarter of 2023, Immigration Enforcement teams delivered 1,303 enforcement visits, a 57% increase on the same period last year

Undocumented Migrants

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce illegal migration.

Robert Jenrick: The Prime Minister and I have a clear plan to reduce illegal migration.Alongside our landmark Illegal Migration Bill, we are working more closely with international partners, including France; dismantling Organised Immigration Crime gangs; ending spurious modern slavery claims; and reforming our asylum system.

Slavery: Victims

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support victims of modern slavery.

Miss Sarah Dines: Adult victims in England and Wales are supported through the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract, led by The Salvation Army, alongside wider state servicesChild victims are supported by local authority safeguarding structures and Independent Child Trafficking Guardians provide support and advocate to reflect the best interests of the child in decision-making processes. Guardians are currently in two thirds of local authorities in England and Wales.

Offenders: Deportation

Laura Farris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to deport foreign national offenders.

Robert Jenrick: We are committed to protecting the public by removing foreign criminals and will do all we can to ensure that they cannot frustrate the removal process. There were several measures in our Nationality and Borders Act and further ones in the Illegal Migration Bill.We removed more than 13,000 foreign national offenders between January 2019 and September 2022.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Chris Clarkson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of small boat crossings of the English Channel.

Suella Braverman: We have to stop these dangerous, illegal, and unnecessary crossings and are investing £480m with our French partners on additional personnel, facilities and technology.Our Illegal Migration Bill will do more to remove those with no right to be here, deter migrants from crossing, and reduce the intolerable cost to the taxpayer. We will also seek permission to appeal the recent judgment about our partnership with Rwanda from the Court of Appeal.

Ministry of Defence

Saudi Arabia: Air Force

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) number of occasions of training, (b) dates of training, (c) number of personnel trained and (d) programme of training provided by UK (i) armed forces personnel and (ii) contractors to the Royal Saudi Air Force on compliance with International Humanitarian Law since 2015.

James Heappey: Since 2016, the UK has provided an on-going programme of training to the Royal Saudi Air Force, including annual delivery of an International Humanitarian Law compliance course focused on the Law of Armed Conflict.Each of these courses, which continue to be provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, are typically attended by 15-25 officers of the Royal Saudi Air Force and Saudi Ministry of Defence Civilians.In addition to these courses, modules on International Humanitarian Law are consistently included in other training provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, including courses on Joint Inter-Agency Teams and Media Operations.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of Afghan interpreters who requested resettlement have been accommodated in the UK.

James Heappey: Since the launch of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme in April 2021, we have received over 141,000 applications, and have relocated over 12,200 eligible individuals and their family members to safety in the UK.We are unable to breakdown our figures by specific job role.

China: National Security

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to the Intelligence and Security Committee regarding its report on China, submitted on 15 May 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason he has not sent confirmation to the Intelligence and Security Committee that he has received its report on China, submitted to him on 15 May 2023.

James Heappey: Under the terms of the Justice and Security Act 2013 and the Government's Memorandum of Understanding with the Intelligence and Security Committee, the Committee must, before making a report to Parliament, send it to the Prime Minister for the purpose of excluding any matter that would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the security and intelligence services. The Secretary of State for Defence has no role in the process.The Prime Minister has responded to the Committee to confirm that its report on China may be published, and the Committee has announced that it will therefore be laid before Parliament ahead of the House rising for summer recess.Following publication of the report on China, the Government will consider the Committee's recommendations and conclusions and publish a full response in due course and in the usual manner.

Ministry of Defence: Weddings

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in allowing (a) civil marriage, (b) civil partnership and (c) same-sex marriage ceremonies at Ministry of Defence sites.

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many same-sex marriages have taken place in military chapels since the Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Use of Armed Forces’ Chapels) Regulations came into force on 3 June 2014.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence is proud of all our LGBT+ personnel and the significant contributions they make to ensure our security, support our national interests, and safeguard our prosperity. We are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful and welcoming organisation for all personnel from all faiths and beliefs. In England and Wales, neither Civil Marriage nor Civil Partnerships (for opposite sex or same sex couples) currently occur on the Defence Estates due to security considerations associated with the requirements for ongoing public access to buildings registered for this purpose. Defence will continually work together with other Government Departments to look at how restrictions can be removed to make the policy more inclusive. As marriage is a devolved issue in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the rules differ. Civil Marriage or Civil Partnerships on Defence Estates are at the discretion of the Heads of Establishment. Civil Partnerships and Civil Marriages do occur on Defence estates outside the UK, such as in Germany and Cyprus and will comply with host countries’ laws or the Sovereign Base Regulations. In line with the Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Use of Armed Forces’ Chapels) Regulations 2014, same-sex couples have been able to marry in Armed Forces Chapels since 2014. To date, three same-sex couple marriages have taken place in Armed Forces Chapels since June 2014, two in England and one in Cyprus.

Kia Tubuitamana

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to waive the school fees payable by Kia Tubuitamana.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Mr Tubuitamana's case is currently under review and MOD officials are in contact with his appointed representatives. I expect this to conclude shortly.

Armed Forces: Dogs and Horses

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) dogs and (b) horses were in service in the Armed Forces as of 28 June 2023.

James Cartlidge: The number of dogs serving in the Ministry of Defence as of 1 January 2023 was 794. This is comprised of 792 Military Working Dogs, and two Dog Mascots. For numbers of serving horses, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 June 2023 to Question 190008 to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Luke Pollard). Army: Horses (docx, 17.9KB)

Ministry of Defence: Motor Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's civilian fleet of vehicles that are electric or plug-in hybrid were built in the UK.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2023 to Question 190267 on Air Force: Electric Vehicles, how many of those vehicles were built in the UK.

James Cartlidge: As of 27 June 2023, there are 39 Plug In Hybrid Vehicles in the Ministry of Defence's 'White Fleet' and one Battery Electric Vehicle that were built in the UK.There are currently no UK-built electric vehicles in the RAF's vehicle fleet.

Armed Forces: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2023 to Question 190504 on Armed Forces: Housing, on what date his Department became aware that 795 homes occupied by service families did not have valid gas certificates.

James Cartlidge: In reference to the figure of 795 homes, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 June 2023 to question 190504.Armed Forces: Housing (docx, 22.7KB)

Armed Forces: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 20 June 2023 on Defence Infrastructure Update, HCWS867, how many of the 795 homes without valid gas certificates are occupied by children under the age of 18.

James Cartlidge: The Department can only provide this information at disproportionate cost.As at 20 June 2023, 795 homes occupied by Service families were without a valid gas certificate. This number had reduced to 410 by 27 June 2023.

HMS Westminster

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the refit of HMS Westminster to be complete.

James Cartlidge: We do not disclose the date refits are expected to conclude, as this could give rise to the release of operationally sensitive information.

HMS Westminster

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned cost is of refitting HMS Westminster.

James Cartlidge: The initial estimate for refitting HMS WESTMINSTER is £100 million.

AUKUS

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister is responsible for pillar one of the Australia – United Kingdom – United States (AUKUS) partnership.

James Cartlidge: As with any large strategic programme, the Defence Secretary has overall responsibility for AUKUS.He is supported by me as Minister for Defence Procurement.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2023 to Question 184580 on Unmanned Air Vehicles: Procurement, for what reason the initial operating capability date for the Protector drone programme has moved to 2025.

James Cartlidge: The principal reasons the date has changed are around software integration within the Prime Contractor and infrastructure challenges at RAF Waddington.

AUKUS

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time (a) civilian and (b) military personnel in his Department are working on pillar (i) one and (ii) two of the Australia – United Kingdom – United States (AUKUS) partnership.

James Cartlidge: Both AUKUS Pillar 1 (SSN-AUKUS) and Pillar 2 (Advanced Capabilities) are being delivered through a cross-Whitehall effort, led by the Ministry of Defence. Given the cross-cutting nature of AUKUS, it is not practical to quantify the specific number of people working on it.

Armed Forces: Children

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 56 of the Concluding Observations on the combined sixth and seventh periodic reports of the UK to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, published on 22 June 2023, what steps he plans to take in response to each of the recommendations in that paragraph; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Armed Forces have no plans to raise the minimum age of recruitment. All recruitment into the UK military is voluntary and no young person under the age of 18 years may join our Armed Forces unless their application is accompanied by the formal written consent of their parent or guardian. We take the duty of care towards all recruits seriously, in particular those under 18 years of age. We have robust, effective and independently verified safeguards in place to ensure that under-18s are cared for properly.Service personnel aged under 18 are not deployed on hostile operations outside the UK or on any operations where they could be exposed to hostilities. All new recruits, regardless of age, can discharge within their first three to six months of service.Our policies on under-18s in Service comply with national and international law. In addition to the comprehensive welfare system that is in place for all Service personnel we remain fully committed to meeting our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and have taken steps to bestow special safeguards on young people under the age of 18.The provision of education and training for 16-year-old school leavers provides a route into the Armed Forces that complies with Government education policy and offers a significant foundation for emotional, physical and educational development throughout an individual's career. All recruits aged under 18 receive key skills education in literacy and numeracy, should they need it, and all are enrolled in apprenticeships. The Armed Forces remain the UK's largest apprenticeship provider, equipping young people with valuable and transferable skills for life. Over 95% of all recruits, no matter what their age or prior qualifications, enrol in an apprenticeship each year. The Armed Forces offer courses in a wide range of skills, such as engineering, information and communications technology, construction, driving, and animal care. Ofsted regularly inspects our care of newly joined young recruits, and we are very proud of the standards we achieve.

Space Technology

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps UK Space Command is taking to coordinate with (a) other military and (b) civilian organisations to (i) increase the UK's space capabilities and (ii) help tackle potential threats to national space assets.

James Heappey: Collaboration with civil and international partners is fundamental to our delivery of the National Space Strategy and Defence Space Strategy (DSS).Defence is developing new capabilities to support military operations and to protect and defend our national interests. We are investing £1.5 billion over 10 years in a coherent Defence Space Portfolio (DSP). This is in addition to the £5 billion we are investing in the SKYNET satellite communications programme.In delivering the DSP, we are working with international Allies and partners to maximise interoperability and provide resilience in our joint pursuit of a safe and secure space domain. We are also partnering with commercial providers to deliver the Portfolio and with partners across Government to determine where dual-use capabilities can meet civil and defence needs.The DSS commits us to broadening and deepening our multinational collaboration. As a founding member of the Combined Space Operations initiative (Five Eyes + France and Germany), we use this forum to align on space policy, capability development and operations. We are also working with NATO to grow the NATO Space Enterprise and we are developing new bilateral relationships.The UK is showing global leadership on space security. Ministry of Defence is supporting the FCDO-led initiative through the UN on Reducing Space Threats through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviours. This is aimed at reducing the risk of miscalculation in the space domain.

Belarus: Nuclear Weapons

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of plans to base nuclear warheads in Belarus.

James Heappey: The announcement by President Putin on his intent to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus is the latest in a long pattern of irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. It is designed to distract and deter us from supporting Ukraine. It will not. We, with our NATO Allies, continue to closely monitor the situation and call on Russia to de-escalate, starting by ceasing its illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

NATO: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK staff were based at (a) NATO headquarters, (b) Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and (c) NATO Northwood in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

James Heappey: The UK is one of the largest contributors of personnel to NATO, underlining our commitment to deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, with personnel deployed over twenty-one countries. The number of UK personnel posted to NATO Headquarters, SHAPE and MARCOM in 2021, 2022 and 2023 can be found below.  202120222023NATO Headquarters, Brussels444546Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers (SHAPE)176175169MARCOM, Northwood505050

Air Force: Recruitment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2022 to Question 111551 on Air Force: Recruitment, whether the non-statutory inquiry into the historical recruiting culture of the Royal Air Force has concluded; and if he will publish its findings when it has concluded.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Non-Statutory Inquiry (NSI) into Royal Air Force (RAF) Recruiting and Selection was published on 29 June 2023. The RAF has accepted the 12 recommendations made by the NSI in full and these are being implemented.

LGBT Veterans Independent Review

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the conclusions of the LGBT veterans independent review, chaired by Lord Etherton.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 June 2023 to question 190453 to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South (Mr Morgan).LGBT Veterans Independent Review (docx, 22.6KB)

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department will complete its assessment of the application numbered CRM: 0698000204 for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence continues to process ARAP applications at pace thanks to the recruitment of more caseworkers and improved systems and processes. In the first half of 2023, we have issued over 29,000 eligibility decisions and we aim to process all outstanding initial applications by August 2023.If the hon. Member would like an update on a specific case, I will happily provide one via correspondence.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Social Media: Offensive Weapons

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to tackle the paid advertising to UK users on social media platforms of (a) weapons and (b) other illicit items.

Sir John Whittingdale: In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising on social media platforms. This includes protections against misleading, harmful and illicit advertising, including illegal items such as weapons. Additionally, there is already legislation in place that prohibits the sale and advertising of certain weapons, such as flick-knives and firearms. Advertising for weapons not prohibited for sale should follow the ASA’s rules around legality, offence, fear, distress, and safety, and media owners should carefully consider all weapon adverts before deciding whether to display it.The Government is also examining the regulatory model for online advertising to ensure it protects consumers and minimises harm through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Online Advertising Programme (OAP). The consultation on the OAP closed last year and considered how to tackle harms arising from paid-for online advertising, including illegal items such as weapons. We will be publishing a Government response in due course.

Arts: Education

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the educational arts sector.

Sir John Whittingdale: His Majesty’s Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have a broad and balanced curriculum, of which creative education is a key part. We have a wide range of music and arts education programmes designed to improve access to the arts for all children, regardless of their background or where they live, and to maximise potential and unlock opportunity across the country. The Department for Education will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through its music, arts, and heritage programmes.The recently published Creative Industries Sector Vision highlighted our Creative Careers Promise, which will build on our educational arts offering to young people. As part of this, and as committed to in the Schools White Paper, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education are working together to develop a Cultural Education Plan. This plan aims to highlight the importance of high-quality cultural education in schools, promote the social value of cultural and creative education, outline and support career progression pathways, address skills gaps, and tackle disparities in opportunity and outcome. It will also connect relevant organisations delivering cultural learning opportunities and to support the cultural education workforce, including freelancers.This week, the Government announced 22 independent experts who will sit on an advisory panel to support the development of the Cultural Education Plan. This panel, chaired by the crossbench peer Baroness Bull, comprises teachers, education leaders, and representatives from the performing arts, museums, heritage and youth sectors, and the creative industries.As part of their work, Baroness Bull, members of the panel, and officials from both Departments are undertaking a series of around 50 listening exercises, working with organisations including the Confederation of School Trusts, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Youth Agency, Creative UK, the Royal Society of Arts, and Arts Council England’s Youth Advisory Board.This is on top of existing Government initiatives to support the arts in education, including £25 million for musical instruments as committed to alongside the National Plan for Music Education, exploring opportunities for enrichment activities as part of the Government’s wraparound childcare provision, improving creative apprenticeships, and supporting the rollout of relevant T-Levels.Additionally, we recognise the rich cultural learning experiences that children and young people in England access through the cultural sector, and we are pleased that 79% of organisations being funded through Arts Council England’s 2023–26 national portfolio are delivering activities directly to children and young people – a 20% increase from the last national portfolio.

Football: Women

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the Future of Women's Football review.

Stuart Andrew: The Future of Women’s Review is expected to be published this summer, and the Government will respond in due course.

Swimming Pools: Local Government

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many council run lidos were in operation in England in each year since 2019.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is clear on the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities. We have also confirmed an additional £60 million support package for swimming pools, which is targeted at addressing cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers and helping make facilities sustainable in the long-term.The number of operational lidos (which includes temporary closures, of which there are currently 10) on local authority owned sites from 2019-2023 is as follows:2019 – 822020 – 812021 – 812022 – 802023 – 81

Dormant Assets Scheme

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government response to the consultation on the English portion of dormant assets funding, published on 7 March 2023, when she plans to bring forward secondary legislation to name community wealth funds as a cause that can be supported by the Dormant Assets Scheme in England.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has recently announced that community wealth funds will become the fourth cause for dormant assets funding in England. Secondary legislation to enable dormant assets funding to flow to community wealth funds will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows.A community wealth fund will provide pots of funding to hyper-local communities, with spending decisions made by local residents on how to improve their communities and lives. The Government will soon launch a technical consultation on the design of this important new initiative and welcome views on how best to ensure its long-term impact.

Sports: Electronic Cigarettes

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment (a) of levels of sports advertising by vaping companies and (b) the potential implications of those levels for her Department's policies.

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment (a) of levels of sponsorship of sports teams by vaping companies and (b) the potential implications of those levels for her Department's policies.

Stuart Andrew: No assessment has been made by the department into levels of sponsorships by vaping companies in sport. Sports are responsible for their own commercial deals.

Chess

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Minister in her Department is responsible for chess.

Stuart Andrew: A range of Government departments have an interest in chess. For example, the Department for Education would lead on chess in schools.Within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ultimately the Secretary of State would have overall responsibility, while other issues would fall to different Ministers depending on the nature of the issue. For example, the Minister for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society would have an interest in questions related to promoting chess to young people outside school - while the Minister for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries would engage the gaming industry on online forms of chess.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China: Taiwan

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to respond to Chinese military exercises off Taiwan.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK's longstanding policy on Taiwan has not changed. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We do not support any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and have underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside partners in previous G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' and Leaders' communiques.

Raymond Koh

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Malaysian authorities on the conclusion of the investigation by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission into involvement by the state in the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh in 2017.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. We work with the UN, G7, and other multilateral fora to promote FoRB. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, Fiona Bruce MP, has written to the Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK about the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh, lodging her interest on this issue.

China: Abortion

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 187040 on China: Abortion, whether his Department has put safeguards in place to ensure that UK aid given to (a) International Planned Parenthood Federation and (b) United Nations Family Planning Association is not used to fund abortions in China.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: As the answer to Question 187040 made clear, no UK overseas development assistance funds forced or coercive abortions in China. We have a stringent due diligence process in our programming and partnerships to ensure our sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) interventions are rights-based, voluntary and legal. We expect and have full confidence in our partners, including International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to align with this approach.

China: Prisoners

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British citizens are in prison in China; and how many have been in prison for longer than (a) two, (b) five and (c) ten years; and what proportion are awaiting trial.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: On the 1st June 2023, the FCDO was providing on-going consular assistance to 17 British citizens detained in China.On the 1st June 2023, the FCDO was providing on-going consular assistance to 20 British citizens detained in Hong Kong.It is not possible to provide further details on individual cases.

Latvia: Council of Europe

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of presentation made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia on the viability of the Council of Europe at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: The UK welcomed remarks made by Latvia at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. We look forward to the application of Latvia's policies during its presidency in protecting and promoting democracy and rule of law across Europe. The Prime Minister and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon were pleased to attend the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik alongside nearly forty other European leaders. The UK agrees with European partners that the Council of Europe is playing a vital role in supporting Ukraine. Its work to establish the Register of Damage is an important step in securing financial accountability and supporting justice for the people of Ukraine. The Prime Minister signed the Register at the Summit, as a founding participant, and we will continue to work with the Council and our friends worldwide to ensure support for it.

Sovereign Order of Malta: Diplomatic Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing diplomatic relations with the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Leo Docherty: We recognise the important global role of the Sovereign Order of Malta, including its extensive humanitarian work, particularly in the Middle East and supporting Ukraine, and its efforts to promote interreligious dialogue. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met then-Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager at the UK-hosted International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in July 2022 to hear about the Order's work in these areas. The British Embassy to the Holy See also engages with the Order on an informal basis. We keep our policy on how we engage with the Sovereign Order of Malta under review.

Rwanda: Bilateral Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total estimated value of bilateral Official Development Assistance to Rwanda was in 2022.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Total bilateral Official Development Assistance to Rwanda in 2022 will be available in Statistics in International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2022. This will be published in Autumn 2023.Further detail of UK international development programmes in Rwanda are available here: DevTracker Country Rwanda Programmes Page (fcdo.gov.uk). This information is being updated imminently.

Israel: Palestinians

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the adherence by the Israeli Government to its legal responsibilities towards the populations of the occupied Palestinian Territories.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: It has long been the government's view that Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is as an occupying power and therefore is governed by the provisions of the Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a state party. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and we have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. We stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. It is vital that Israeli security operations all actions are proportionate, in line with international humanitarian law and calibrated to avoid civilian casualties. The Foreign Secretary along with the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon frequently engages with Israelis and Palestinians on issues relating to the occupation. The Foreign Secretary most recently spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen on 26 June.

Afghanistan and Iran: Poisoning

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of reports of schoolgirls being poisoned in (a) Iran and (b) Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: Reports of poisonings of school girls in Afghanistan and Iran are disturbing. We, alongside our international partners, NGOs and the UN continue to monitor the reports. The Minister for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations Lord (Tariq) Ahmad has made clear that it is essential that all girls can exercise their human right to education without fear. We regularly press the Taliban on human rights priorities, including women's and girls' access to education. We continue to raise women and girls rights alongside broader human rights issues with Iran, at all appropriate opportunities.

Wagner Group

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of events involving the Wagner Group in Russia between 23-25 June 2023 on (a) security in African countries affected by Wagner Group operations, (b) human rights and governance in African countries affected by Wagner Group operations and (c) enforcement of UK sanctions against the Wagner Group in Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to highlight the Wagner Group's reprehensible actions around the world, including in Africa. We sanctioned the Wagner Group in its entirety in 2022 and we will continue to impose and enforce sanctions to undermine the organisation's destabilising activity. We will also continue to assess the impact of Wagner Group activities and what we can do, in co-ordination with our international partners, to ensure African countries are safe without the need for mercenary forces. The UK remains committed to supporting regional security through our humanitarian, development and stabilisation programmes.

Endometriosis

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of people with endometriosis globally.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK recognizes the significant impact that endometriosis has on women's sexual and reproductive health and quality of life and that strong health systems, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), are essential for tackling this disease. That's why the Women's Health Strategy for England made improving access to services, and prioritising services for women's conditions such as endometriosis, one of the 6 priorities for action.Globally, the UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive SRHR. With our partners, we are working towards a world where women, girls and all other marginalised people have access to quality health services. We support health system strengthening through our funding to the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents, and in collaboration with key partners, including the World Health Organization and UNFPA.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the security situation ahead of the elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in December 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government has a long-standing commitment to supporting prosperity, development, and stability in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UK is working with stakeholders to support the delivery of elections this year. We continue to emphasise the need for these to be free, fair, inclusive and transparent. We regularly raise the conflict in eastern DRC at the highest levels in Kinshasa, Kigali and the wider region. We continue to urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the regional Nairobi and Luanda peace processes. We firmly believe these regional peace processes provide the best means by which to achieve a lasting peace in eastern DRC and offer them our full support.

Turkey: Council of Europe

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Observation of the parliamentary and presidential elections in Turkiye at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 19 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: We have noted the findings of the independent election observation missions in the recent Turkish Presidential and Parliamentary elections, including by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in their report and debate on 19 June 2023 and by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). We note from their conclusions that the elections offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives and voter participation remained high, but there remains more work to do to ensure media freedom and fair judicial treatment of political opponents in Turkey. In our regular interaction with Turkey, we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law, protect freedom of expression and assembly and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. The UK, along with all other Council of Europe member States, will respond to the report and debate through the Committee of Ministers.

Slovenia: Council of Europe

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the address made by the President of Slovenia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 21 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: We welcome President Nataša Pirc Musar's speech in Strasbourg to mark 30 years of Slovenia's membership in the Council of Europe (CoE) and thank her for highlighting the devastating consequences of Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.We agree with President Pirc Musar's remarks that the Council of Europe must remain a global standard-bearer in addressing new and evolving human rights challenges, including on the environment and AI. The Prime Minister and Lord Ahmad were pleased to attend the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik alongside nearly forty other European leaders, including President Pirc Musar. Against the backdrop of Putin's heinous war against Ukraine, we stand united our European partners to defend our common values and support freedom, democracy and the rule of law across the continent.We share the President Pirc Musar's focus on the need to de-escalate current tensions between Serbia and Kosovo and the importance of avoiding any further inflammatory actions or rhetoric and for a return to the EU-facilitated Dialogue.

Council of Europe: Finance

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on the budget of the Council of Europe at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 21 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: As a Grand Payeur and founding member of the Council of Europe, we are continuing to engage to ensure the Council of Europe works effectively and efficiently, whilst remaining sustainable. We will always push to see clear cost savings, increased efficiency and effectiveness where possible.

Transcaucasus: Roads

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 22 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government has repeatedly called for the opening of the Lachin Corridor to civilians and the movement of humanitarian cargo. The UK has a strong record of supporting humanitarian responses in this region and FCDO officials are in close contact with humanitarian agencies about the current situation. We will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contact with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months. The UK values the work of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe as well as our UK delegation, in producing reports and resolutions to address urgent issues in Europe.

Russia: Council of Europe

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Political consequences of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 22 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: We support the Council of Europe's role in highlighting the devastating consequences of Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, and welcome the work of its Parliamentary Assembly in this regard.The UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine, and to working with our international partners to maximise the effectiveness of our sanctions package targeting Putin and those who enable him to fight his war. We will continue supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes to defend itself and secure a just and lasting peace.

Human Rights and Rule of Law: Council of Europe

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Transnational repression as a growing threat to the rule of law and human rights at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 23 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: Foreign powers reaching across national borders to silence political dissent is unacceptable, and we are steadfastly committed to defending the rule of law and protecting individuals' rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK.We will carefully consider the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Assembly. We continually assess potential threats to the UK and use a range of tools and measures to counter them, in co-ordination with partners. The Defending Democracy Taskforce is driving forward work to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference, and is reviewing the UK's approach to transnational repression.

Belarus: Council of Europe

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the address by Sviatlana Tsihanouskaya at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Addressing the specific challenges faced by the Belarussians in exile at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 20 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: The UK stands in solidarity with the Belarusian people, who have shown immense courage in the face of relentless repression by the Lukashenko regime. We are clear that this regime neither speaks nor acts in the name of the overwhelming majority of Belarusians, and we continue to work with likeminded partners to put pressure on the regime publicly and privately for their human rights violations. We also take very seriously our responsibilities to Belarusian nationals in the UK, and the Security Minister's Defending Democracy Taskforce is driving forward work in response to threats of foreign interference, including transnational repression.

Hungary: Council of Europe

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the presentation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary on the political situation in that country at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 19 June 2023.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government is aware of the presentation by Foreign Minister Szijjártó on 19 June which sets out the position of the Hungarian Government on a variety of topics, including on the war in Ukraine. These are longstanding policy positions of the Hungarian Government with which the UK is familiar. We maintain a constructive dialogue with Hungary, but where we have worries we do not hesitate to raise them. In recent engagements with the Hungarian Government the UK has stressed the importance of remaining united against Russia, and in steadfast support of Ukraine, and we will continue to do so.

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the National Disability Strategy, published on 28 July 2021, which of her Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Kevin Hollinrake: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to my Rt Hon. Friend Caroline Nokes, the Member for Romsey and Southampton North, today [3rd July 2023], UIN 189785.

Department for Business and Trade: Disability

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021, which of her Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Kevin Hollinrake: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held as a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.The National Disability Strategy (NDS) was published in July 2021 before the creation of the Department of Business and Trade in February 2023. The former Department for International Trade had no policies in the NDS while former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) had several commitments. The following three NDS commitments, were delivered by BEIS before the Judicial Review in January 2022:An online advice hub providing clear, accessible information on employment rights for disabled people, developed in collaboration with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration service (Acas). This is now live and can be found at the following address: https://www.acas.org.uk/disability-at-workA consultation on “making flexible working the default unless employers have good reasons not to”. The consultation ran from September to December 2021 and the Government published its response in December 2022. The Government is supporting the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Private Members Bill through parliament, which will deliver several of the measures committed to in the response.An outline of next steps on introducing unpaid carer’s leave across Great Britain, following the Government’s consultation response in September 2021. The Government supported the Carer’s Leave Private Members Act through parliament, which has now received Royal Assent.The remaining former BEIS commitments relevant to the Department for Business and Trade’s remit in the National Disability Strategy were formally paused as a result of the Judicial Review. These were:Scoping policy proposals to ensure that every disabled person who wants to start a business has the opportunity to do so.Launching an Extra Costs taskforce, to understand the extra costs faced by disabled people and how this breaks down for different impairments.We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the Department for Business and Trade will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer.Ahead of this, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

Fraud

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the National Trading Standards initiative entitled Friends Against Scams.

Kevin Hollinrake: Friends Against Scams (FAS) is a National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team initiative which launched in October 2016 and provides scams awareness training either online or face-to-face. The training is designed to help protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams. FAS is an independent NTS initiative last reviewed by them in May 2021 and was found to be successful in promoting awareness and helping those trained recognise and avoid scams.

Business: Insolvency

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the number of businesses that are likely to cease trading as a result of (a) higher interest rates on their debts and (b) reduced consumer disposable income in the next 12 months.

Kevin Hollinrake: While there are no official forecasts of the number of businesses expected to cease trading, the most recent Monthly Insolvency Statistics produced by the Insolvency Service show that in May 2023 there were 2,552 company insolvencies in England and Wales, up 40 per cent on May 2022.

Developing Countries Trading Scheme: Africa

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the Developing Countries Trading Scheme in Africa on the UK's renewables industry; and what plans she has for developing partnerships between UK companies working in renewables and their African counterparts.

Nigel Huddleston: The Developing Countries Trading Scheme supports the UK renewables industry by allowing duty-free imports on everything but arms from 33 Least Developed Countries in Africa. In addition, the UK Global Tariff allows duty-free imports of raw materials such as cobalt, nickel and graphite from all countries, including those in Africa. We are supporting partnerships between UK and African firms in renewables. Through the Africa Energy Forum in June, we brought together UK investors and exporters and African governments in renewables and the 2024 UK Africa Investment Summit will further develop commercial partnerships including in renewables.

Trade Promotion: Staff

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether it is her policy to increase the number of trade envoys.

Nigel Huddleston: There are currently 36 Trade Envoys progressing our trade and investment agenda in 66 markets across the world and the Department is constantly reviewing suitable markets to identify where the appointment of a Trade Envoy can be of greatest benefit to the trade and investment aims of the UK alongside the Department’s other support for exporters and investors. The ultimate decision to increase the number of his Trade Envoys is the Prime Minister’s.

Exports: Notifiable Diseases

Paul Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of notifiable disease outbreaks on UK exports.

Nigel Huddleston: The Secretary of State for Business and Trade maintains regular dialogue with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a wide range of issues relating to agriculture and trade. The government will continue to prioritise trade facilitation in our free trade agreements to benefit UK exports.

Help to Grow Schemes

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding was allocated to the Help to Grow: Digital scheme; and how much was spent.

Kevin Hollinrake: Help To Grow Digital (HTGD) had an initial budget allocation for each of the HTGD scheme years which were as follows: 21/22 - £20m, 22/23 - £72m, 23/24 - £107m and 24/25 £97m* (* - subject to Spending Review). When the scheme finally closed on 31st March 2023, the total RDEL Programme spend was c£31.4m. The decision to close the scheme enabled the Government to refocus efforts towards other support mechanisms for small businesses, ensuring businesses get the backing they need in the most efficient and productive way possible.

Help to Grow Schemes

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many applications were received for the Help to Grow: Digital scheme; and how many of them were (a) accepted and (b) rejected.

Kevin Hollinrake: At the closure of the Help to Grow Digital scheme (31/03/23), 1527 applications for vouchers had been received. 1394 applications were accepted, and 133 applications were rejected.

Baby Care Units: Parental Leave and Pay

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing neonatal care leave and pay before April 2025.

Kevin Hollinrake: We are committed to introducing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as quickly as possible. Work is ongoing across Government to deliver these new entitlements. Delivery requires updates to HM Revenue and Customs IT systems, support for employers and payroll providers to implement changes, guidance for employers and individuals, and for Parliamentary consideration of a significant amount of secondary legislation. These actions will take approximately 18 months. It is also necessary to align the ‘go live’ date with the start of a tax year. This means April 2025 is the earliest date for the introduction of Neonatal Care Leave and Pay.

Department for Transport

Railways: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of staff deployed in rail ticket offices in England.

Huw Merriman: The Department for Transport does not hold this information centrally. Each Train operating company, as the individual employers, holds this information.

Railway Stations: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 113209 on Railway Stations: Disability, what progress his Department has made on conducting a network-wide accessibility audit of station facilities at all 2,565 mainline railway stations in Great Britain to inform future investment decisions.

Huw Merriman: Work is now complete on auditing all stations across Great Britain to understand how accessible they are for passengers with a range of requirements. We have commissioned the Great British Railways Transition Team to implement data platforms to (a) allow passengers to access this information to better plan their journeys and (b) allow the rail industry to better plan how they operate the network.

Railways: Tickets

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rail ticket offices have been closed in England since 2010.

Huw Merriman: 24 Ticket Offices have been closed since 2010. In 2022/23, 1 in 9 transactions occurred at a ticket office, this is down from 1 in 3 a decade earlier.

Railways: Disability

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed rail ticket office closures on the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of the rail network for disabled passengers.

Huw Merriman: When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers who are disabled; and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. We would also expect operators to consider other equality related needs and make this clear in their consultation. We recognise that many passengers value the services provided by staff at ticket offices and the Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee to understand any concerns. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future. This will include assisting those who need additional support and cannot or do not want to use digital tickets.

Railways: Disability

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the value of services provided by rail ticket offices to disabled rail passengers.

Huw Merriman: We recognise that many passengers value the services provided by staff at ticket offices. No currently staffed station will be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, and train operators will ensure staff are well located to meet passenger needs in future. This will include assisting those who need additional support and cannot or do not want to use digital tickets. The Department recently hosted roundtable discussions with industry and accessibility and transport groups to discuss this matter and ensure their views are understood. We continue to engage with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee through the process.

Railways: Tickets

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when (a) digital barcode ticketing and (b) pay-as-you-go ticketing will be available across the entire rail network in England.

Huw Merriman: Barcode ticketing is already available on many routes across the country and we are investing to roll out barcode ticketing across outstanding areas of the network, including c2c, Southeastern and Govia Thameslink Railway by the end of this year. We have committed to expanding Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) to a further 52 stations in the South East by the end of the year, and are also currently working with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands on the PAYG commitments in the trailblazer devolution deals with pilots to be agreed by the end of this year.

Railways: Suicide

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have died by suicide on the rail network in each of the last 36 months.

Huw Merriman: There were 772 suspected suicides on the rail network (excluding London Underground, Overground, and DLR), between 1 June 2020 to 31 May 2023. The Department for Transport, Network Rail and the British Transport Police are committed to reducing the number of deaths by suicide, with each rail operator responsible for delivering a suicide prevention plan.

Bus Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of passenger journeys made on local bus services by (a) metropolitan area and (b) urban-rural status for 2022-23 in (i) England, (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iii) Leeds.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department publishes annual National Statistics on bus passenger journeys, with the statistics for the year ending March 2023 provisionally set to be published in October 2023. The statistics do not present figures for Leeds as the data is not collected at this level of granularity, instead figures for West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority are available. All other requested breakdowns are available. All of the Department’s annual, quarterly and compendium statistical releases for the coming year can be found on the forthcoming publication schedule on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/about/statistics#see-our-forthcoming-publications An alternative measure of bus passenger journeys for Great Britain for the year ending March 2023 is available via our Domestic Transport Usage by Mode statistics that are published monthly on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic

A30: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2023 to Question 186218 on A30: Repairs and Maintenance, when the next additions to the major road network will be made.

Mr Richard Holden: The current Programme of Major Road Network/Large Local Majors (MRN/LLM) schemes is closed to new projects. Any future funding for a further MRN programme would be subject to the agreement of HM Treasury.

A316: Speed Limits

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 186217 on A316: Speed Limits, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including the A316 in the strategic road network to be managed by National Highways.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government will shortly make decisions about the Strategic Road Network (SRN) in the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3), which covers the period 2025 to 2030. National Highways has recently published its Shaping the future of England's strategic roads which summarises evidence and proposals provided to the Department for Transport about the current performance of the SRN, future priorities for the next road period and beyond, as well as the analytical strategy National Highways has adopted.

Bus Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help support local authorities to (a) maintain and (b) extend bus routes.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government has provided over £2 billion in emergency and recovery funding for bus services in England outside London since March 2020. On 17 May, the Government announced a long-term approach to support and improve bus services with an additional £300 million from July 2023 until April 2025. £160 million of this funding will be provided to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) through a “Bus Service Improvement Plan plus” (BSIP+) mechanism focused on improving bus services in local areas, whilst allowing local authorities to make local decisions on protecting services. The remaining £140 million will be provided to bus operators via a “Bus Service Operators Grant plus” (BSOG+) mechanism to help protect vital services. The Government is also providing over £1 billion to 34 local LTAs to support the delivery of their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), including to maintain and extend bus routes. Following the announcement of 17 May, the Department has changed the rules to allow LTAs who were allocated BSIP funding to use up to 10% of this funding to support existing services where necessary. A switch of over 10% of this allocation will require approval from the Department for Transport.

Quad Bikes: Registration

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2022 to Question 24582 on Motorcycles: Registration, whether it remains the position of his Department that it does not support a mandatory registration scheme for off-road quad bikes.

Mr Richard Holden: There are no plans to introduce a mandatory registration scheme for off-road quad bikes. Such a scheme would place a burden and cost on law abiding citizens who would be most impacted by the requirements. It is also unlikely to tackle dangerous or anti-social use.

Bus Services: Fares

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of further extending the bus fare cap.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government introduced the £2 fare cap on single bus tickets in England outside London on 1 January 2023 to help passengers save on their regular travel costs and to help increase patronage on buses. The Department for Transport’s interim report evaluating the first month of the scheme found that 10% of survey respondents were making more bus journeys since the scheme started, and around a third felt that the fare cap had had a positive impact on their cost of living. A survey conducted by Transport Focus of over 1,000 people also reported that 11% of respondents stated that they were using the bus more as a result of the cap. This scheme was due to end on 30 June 2023, but on 17 May, the Department announced that the £2 cap would be extended for a further four months from 1 July until 31 October. This will be followed by a longer-term fare cap of £2.50 from 1 November 2023 to 30 November 2024, with both the extension to the £2 cap and the £2.50 cap being backed by further Government investment of up to £200 million. The Department will continue to monitor the impact of the fare cap and use the results to inform future approaches, policies and interventions to support the bus sector.

Bus Services: Visual Impairment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of information at bus stops for visually impaired people.

Mr Richard Holden: I recognise the importance of bus station and stop accessibility in facilitating inclusive end-to-end journeys, and we have commissioned research to understand the perspective of disabled passengers and others. The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) were created to deliver equality of opportunity for disabled bus and coach users, enabling all passengers to travel in safety and comfort. In June we launched a Call for Evidence as part of a wider review of PSVAR, to obtain views on how effective the Regulations have been and how they might evolve to continue meeting the access needs of all passengers. Ultimately, the provision of bus stations and bus stops is a matter for Local Authorities, who must pay regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty and comply with other equalities duties, when taking related decisions.

Bus Services: Disability and Older People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to bus drivers on carrying passengers who are (a) frail and (b) use mobility aids.

Mr Richard Holden: Operators of bus and coach services have various duties to support disabled passengers, which include the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 and the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990. The government has previously issued guidance to support their implementation. Earlier this month we made the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations and will soon publish guidance to support operators to implement the new requirements. The government has also published the “REAL” training course to help transport providers ensure their staff understand disabled people’s rights and how to support them effectively.

Bus Services: Fares

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons some bus routes are not included on the government's bus fare scheme.

Mr Richard Holden: The £2 Bus Fare Cap has been designed to be as equitable as possible in terms of its support for passengers across England. Two of the key principles of the scheme were that it should include ‘open’ services which allow any member of public to board; and that the service should allow free concessionary travel (as defined by the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme) for the entirety of its length. Routes that do not meet these principles, for example ‘closed’ school services (defined as a service which would not allow a member of the general public to board), are therefore not eligible for inclusion in the scheme. However, services from participating operators that serve schools; are open to members of the public; and run all year round are eligible for inclusion in the scheme. Participation in the scheme from operators is voluntary, and in some instances, routes may not be covered because the operator has chosen not to participate. Further information about the scheme can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/2-bus-fare-cap.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a pilot scheme for an 80mph motorway on the (a) M3, (b) M4 and (c) M6 toll road.

Mr Richard Holden: We have no plans to do so at present but keep this issue under close review.

Costain Group: A66

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains his Department's policy for Costain to be a delivery partner for the A66 North Trans-Pennine project.

Mr Richard Holden: National Highways is a Government owned company which is operationally independent and is responsible for managing commercial agreements with its suppliers.

Bus Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Bus Strategy in encouraging more people to travel by bus.

Mr Richard Holden: Our National Bus Strategy, ‘Bus Back Better’, outlines how we will make buses more frequent, more reliable, easier to understand and use, better co-ordinated and cheaper.The Department for Transport has established a monitoring and evaluation programme to assess which initiatives are most effective at improving bus services and increasing bus patronage. This assessment covers monitoring and process, impacts, and value for money evaluations of the initiatives funded through Bus Service Improvement Plans. It also includes a synthesis of evaluation findings across wider bus initiatives to understand the impact of the National Bus Strategy as a whole. We intend to publish interim findings from the evaluation in 2024.

Roads: Cambridgeshire

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for young people in Cambridgeshire.

Mr Richard Holden: Responsibility for making decisions about the roads under its care including measures to protect the safety of road users, based on its knowledge of the area and taking into account local needs and considerations, rests with the local Traffic Authority. The Department for Transport provides guidance to traffic authorities on various traffic management measures. For young road users the Department’s broad aim is to improve road safety for young people through new technology and research; and particularly for young drivers, developing better learning opportunities and targeted educational messaging. If there are any specific issues, I would be happy to meet the Hon. Member to discuss further.

Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National evaluation of e-scooter trials: findings report, published in December 2022, what further data his Department is collecting from e-scooter trials; and how he plans to publish this data.

Jesse Norman: The Department continues to collect e-scooter trials monitoring data through e-scooter operators including on vehicle trips, distance and duration. Officials are currently considering how to share further learning and insight that is gathered from trials.

Department for Transport: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2023 to Question 189782 on Disability, if he will state the other seven commitments in the National Disability Strategy that his Department has fully implemented.

Mr Richard Holden: In addition to the Accessible Information Regulations (AIR) which were made in June 2023, the department has implemented the following seven commitments from the National Disability Strategy: Further developed the Passenger Assist Programme for disabled passengers and introduced a passenger assist app.In 2022, delivered four accessibility-focused projects as part of the DfT-funded First of a Kind Rail Innovation Competition, delivered by Innovate UK. The projects were aimed at improving communication and navigation for disabled rail passengers and others with reduced mobility.Supported the passage of the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022 so that disabled people have specific rights and protections to be carried and receive assistance when accessing a taxi or private hire vehicle, without being charged extra for doing so.In 2022 DfT consulted on updated Best Practice Guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England. This contained strengthened recommendations including encouraging the mandatory provision of disability awareness training for taxi and PHV drivers. DfT intends to publish the final version of the guidance later this year.In 2022 provided nearly £1 million to improve the accessibility of lifeline seaports on the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly.The British Standards Institution (BSI) published the PAS (Publicly Available Standard) 1899 in October 2022 which set clear accessibility standards for Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure.Ran multiple rounds of the ‘It’s everyone’s journey’ communications campaign, with the latest activity running from September 2022 to March 2023. The campaign encourages disabled people to travel by helping to raise awareness of disabled passengers’ needs amongst non-disabled passengers.

Driving Licences: Older People

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that when people aged over 70s renew their driving licences the new licences are dated from the expiry of the previous document.

Mr Richard Holden: The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) sends a renewal application form to all drivers who are aged 70 or over 90 days before the licence expires. This allows drivers adequate time to submit their renewal application to ensure continuous entitlement to drive. This means that when a new licence is issued before the expiry of the previous one, it will be valid from the date the new licence is issued.

Local Transport Plans: Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 19 April and 25 May 2022 to Questions 151053 and 3556 on Local Transport Plans: Carbon Emissions, when he plans to consult on the (a) Local Transport Plan and (b) Quantifiable Carbon Reduction Guidance.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department intends to publish both sets of guidance for public consultation in due course.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage local highway authorities to fund equipment that automatically detects the length, width and depth of potholes.

Mr Richard Holden: Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge, needs, and circumstances. The Government has no powers to override local decisions in these matters. By working with the UK Roads Leadership Group and other sector bodies, the Department for Transport encourages local highway authorities to be innovative by, for example, using different materials or new machinery; or by developing new ways of working. The Department engages regularly with local authorities to discuss and disseminate the results of trials of this sort and supports innovation in other ways including through the ADEPT Live Labs programme that is funded by the Department. In terms of wider pothole prevention, a Lane Rental Scheme (LRS) is a tool to help highway authorities reduce the impact of works taking place on the busiest roads at the busiest times – those are likely to include key junctions and other pinch-points, plus the busiest and most congested stretches of road. Under an LRS, utility companies (and others undertaking Street works) working on such roads at peak times are required to pay a daily charge to the local highway authority for the duration of their works. The charges paid to the local authority responsible for the scheme may be used to pay the costs for running the scheme, with any surplus monies raised to be spent in ways for purposes intended to reduce the disruption or other adverse effects arising because of works, including road defects created by utility companies.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to recommendation seven of the report entitled Roads Policing: Not optional - An inspection of roads policing in England and Wales by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services published in May 2020, what recent progress her Department has made with Cabinet colleagues on reviewing Circular 01/2007 on Use of speed and red-light cameras for traffic enforcement: guidance on deployment, visibility and signing; and when he plans to publish the review.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department is currently preparing a revised draft of the circular in light of feedback from a range of key stakeholders, including local government and police force representatives, as to what the guidance should contain. We plan to further engage with interested parties on this revision, with a view to publishing in due course.

Roads: Safety

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to respond to its consultation entitled, Roads policing review: future methods to improve safety and reduce casualties, which closed on 5 October 2020.

Mr Richard Holden: The call for evidence to which is referred saw 149 responses submitted, many of which were incredibly detailed. The Government intends to publish the response shortly, once it has given the responses full consideration.

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide an update on the noise camera trials announced in October 2022.

Mr Richard Holden: Roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. The Department is reviewing the trial outcomes before considering next steps.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: Drugs

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) testing for levels of (i) tranquillisers, antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs in drinking water and (ii) psychotropic drugs in UK rivers and seawater; and (b) the potential impact of those levels on (i) persons consuming that water and (ii) the wider environment.

Rebecca Pow: The Drinking Water Inspectorate commissioned research into pharmaceuticals in drinking water in 2007 (Desk based review of current knowledge on pharmaceuticals in drinking water and estimation of potential levels), which was followed up by a small-scale survey in 2011. Benzoylecogonine, carbamazepine (CBZ), arbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (carbamazepine epoxide; CBZ-EP), ibuprofen and naproxen were detected in drinking water. The Inspectorate commissioned further research in 2014 (Toxicological evaluation of pharmaceuticals in drinking water) which carried out a risk assessment of the pharmaceuticals measured in the previous study. Both concluded that the levels detected in drinking water are not anticipated to pose an appreciable risk to public health. The Environment Agency does not assess impact of substances grouped by their intended use but considers either the risk of individual substances to the environment or groups of substances with similar environmental impacts, for example endocrine disrupting properties. Data can be found at: Defra Data Services Platform(opens in a new tab).

Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the performance of (a) inshore fisheries and (b) conservation authorities.

Mark Spencer: Defra published an independent ‘Evaluation of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities’ in 2021 as part of an ongoing evaluation programme which includes the production of Conduct and Operations Reports. Work is currently underway to gather feedback for the third Report covering 2018 to 2022. We expect to lay the Report in Parliament and publish in spring 2024.

Dangerous Dogs

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) review the breeds of dog covered by and (b) update the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Trudy Harrison: We currently have no plans to review Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The existing legal framework for dog control equips the police and local authorities with appropriate powers to tackle dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog ownership. We are working in partnership with the police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to ensure that the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied to encourage responsible dog ownership and reduce the risk of dog attacks.

Livestock: Vaccination

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) Heptavac and (b) Bravoxin 10 vaccine supplies.

Mark Spencer: The production of veterinary medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Manufacturing difficulties can arise from time-to-time for various reasons, from malfunctioning equipment on the production line, to packaging materials that fail to meet the required specification. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) liaises closely with pharmaceutical companies and distributors of medicines to detect potential problems at the earliest point possible in order to support the continued availability of veterinary medicines where possible. In regards to availability issues experienced for Heptavac P Plus and Bravoxin 10, we understand that there is large global demand for these vaccines at present, compounded by manufacturing issues resulting in intermittent supply. During this time, the VMD have been working with the company concerned to support the release of further batches of vaccine to the UK market. We encourage farmers to discuss their vaccine regime with their veterinary surgeon should they have any concern. Veterinary surgeons may also speak with the Marketing Authorisation Holder MSD Animal Health for latest advice on product availability.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021, which of her Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Trudy Harrison: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs had the following commitments included in the National Disability Strategy:make the England Coast Path as easy to use as possible for disabled people – all stretches of the England Coast Path will be open or with establishment works underway by the end of 2021, unless there are ongoing planning or legal issuescreate a new north coast to coast National Trail from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire by 2025improve access, signage and information on existing national paths and trailsdeliver a £5.77 million investment in green social prescribing, which will benefit disabled peopleimplement the 25 Year Environment Plan, ensuring nature is accessible to everyoneWork on the King Charles III England Coast Path is progressing with over 850 miles now open to the public. At 2,700 miles, when complete it will be the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world. We are making the King Charles III England Coast Path as accessible as possible and have recently approved proposals that have included a brand-new wheelchair-friendly ramp to a popular seawall walkway in Essex, a 600m accessible boardwalk on the Wirral and significant improvements to a well-used stretch of the South West Coast Path which will improve the width, surface quality and gradient of the existing trail.We are continuing work designating Wainwright’s existing coast to coast path across the North of England as a new National Trail by 2025.Our Access for All programme has committed £14.5m of funding to make targeted access improvements in our protected landscapes, national trails, forests and the wider countryside, to help bring the benefits of spending time in nature to everyone. More than £3.5m has already been spent on making our protected landscapes more accessible, including on: resurfacing paths; replacement of stiles with accessible gates; new benches and resting stops; accessible viewing platforms and the provision of new all-terrain trampers to support disabled people to access the countryside. The Government has extended its Farming in Protected Landscapes programme to improve accessibility in our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including installing interpretation panels, replacing gates and stiles to improve access for people who use wheelchairs.The Green Social Prescribing programme which closed in March 2023 achieved over 7,000 referrals to nature-based activities over the course of the programme, and the evidence suggests that the programme has had a very strong service take-up compared with traditional mental health support services. We are committed to supporting the scale-up of green social prescribing across England, as confirmed in our Environmental Improvement Plan.We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer.Ahead of this, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

Livestock Worrying

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of banning the use of electronic shock collars for dogs in England on the number of incidents where dogs that worry livestock are shot.

Trudy Harrison: Very careful consideration was given to potential unintended consequences of banning e-collars controlled by hand-held devices that deliver an electric current to cats or dogs. My Department liaised closely with police chiefs and forces who report that the majority of livestock worrying offences (nearly 7 in 10) occur from unaccompanied dogs. We agree with the police’s recommendation that keeping dogs on leads around livestock and securing dog enclosures offer effective means of preventing livestock worrying, keeping both livestock and dogs safe without the need to use e-collars.

Livestock Worrying: Wales

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department considered evidence on trends in the level of livestock worrying by dogs in Wales in setting its policy on electronic shock collars for dogs in England.

Trudy Harrison: My Department liaised closely with the police and Welsh Government officials to better understand concerns about a reported increase in livestock worrying incidents in Wales. Following these discussions, we are satisfied that there is no causal link between the Welsh ban on these devices and livestock worrying incidents in Wales. The police report that the majority of livestock worrying incidents relate to dogs escaping from their owner’s properties without their knowledge. We also understand that since the Welsh ban came into force police forces have been actively encouraging members of the public to report incidents of livestock worrying, which may also contribute to the reported rise in incidents.In Wales, the prohibition extends to electronic collars which are controlled by hand-held devices and also to electronic collars which are part of ‘invisible fence’ containment systems. In England, the ban will not apply to ‘invisible fence’ systems. In Wales, the prohibition applies to all types of electronic collar, including those emitting an electric shock, a spray, a noise or a vibration. In England, the ban will apply only to collars emitting an electric shock.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information the Government holds on the number of wildfires potentially caused by disposable vapes.

Rebecca Pow: We are aware that the use of disposable vaping products has increased substantially in recent years and are considering the implications of this trend for the environment. While we do not currently hold information on the number of wildfires caused by disposable vapes, my officials are working closely with those in the Department for Health and Social Care, who have recently launched a call for evidence on the impacts of vaping, including on the natural environment. We will use the responses to this to help gather our evidence base, which will in turn inform any future policy interventions to mitigate these impacts.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential risks to animals of exposure to disposable vapes.

Rebecca Pow: We are aware that the use of disposable vaping products has increased substantially in recent years and are considering the implications of this trend for the environment. While we do not currently hold information on the potential risks to animals from exposure to disposable vapes, my officials are working closely with those in the Department for Health and Social Care, who have recently launched a call for evidence on the impacts of vaping, including on the natural environment. We will use the responses to this to help gather our evidence base, which will in turn inform any future policy interventions to mitigate these impacts.

Rural Areas: Crime

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the National Farmers Union on tackling rural crime.

Trudy Harrison: Defra Ministers meet regularly with the NFU on a wide range of issues including rural crimes such as fly tipping and livestock worrying.

Agriculture: Land

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to incentivise (a) the rewilding of non-productive agricultural land and (b) nature-friendly farming practices.

Mark Spencer: (a) The Government is supporting a number of initiatives to create wilder landscapes across England, as part of a broader approach to nature recovery through projects such as peatland restoration funding or agri-environment schemes. However, rewilding is not appropriate in all situations, and we must balance priorities including food production. Landscape Recovery (LR) is an environmental land management (ELM) scheme which seeks to demonstrate the capacity for large-scale nature recovery and sustainable food production to take place in parallel. LR is for landowners and managers who want to take a more large-scale, long-term approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land. It funds ambitious landscape-scale projects through bespoke, long-term agreements lasting 20 years or more. Initially, projects are awarded a project development grant to gather further information on the outcomes of the projects and financing options. Following this, projects will sign an Implementation Agreement, setting out the details of the project and what will be delivered. The implementation phase will then begin from 2024 onwards, with agreed funding from the Government and the private sector. (b) In the Agricultural Transition Plan of November 2020, the Government announced ELM schemes, designed to help England’s farmers enhance their efficiency, productivity and environmental sustainability. This move from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy is the most significant reform of agricultural policy and spending in England in decades. Sustainable food production and caring for the environment can and must go hand in hand. Our ELM schemes will ensure our long-term food security by investing in the foundations of food production: healthy soil, water and biodiverse ecosystems. They have been developed so that there is an offer for all farm types, including for tenant farmers. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers for actions that support food production and can help improve farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and improving the environment. It is being rolled out incrementally, with the full offer available by the end of 2024. It is straightforward for farmers to apply and manage their agreement, and they will receive quarterly payments. We will also pay a new SFI management payment to recognise the administrative costs for farmers entering into and managing an SFI agreement. Countryside Stewardship (CS) pays farmers and land managers to look after and improve the environment in specific habitats, features and local areas on their land. There will be an extra incentive through CS Plus for land managers to join up across local areas to deliver bigger and better results. We are improving the way CS operates, including expanding and refining the scope of the scheme, simplifying processes and making inspections fairer and more proportionate. We have increased the payment rates of CS in response to rising input costs. Farmers and land managers can be in the SFI and CS at the same time, so long as we are not paying for the same actions twice on the same land and the actions are compatible.

Pesticides

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of treating biopesticides under a separate regulatory system than chemical pesticides.

Mark Spencer: Microbiologicals formulated into products, semiochemicals, plant extracts, and other substances based on biological materials are regulated as biopesticides, under the same regulatory system as chemical pesticides, if one of their functions is to protect a plant from pests. We currently do not intend to change this. However, we plan to review regulatory processes and data requirements to identify where approvals and permissions for biopesticides can be made simpler and speedier. Our assessment is that this should reduce regulatory burden on applicants and lead to quicker approval timelines, without compromising environmental and human health standards.

Agriculture: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using drones instead of mechanical spraying equipment on steep hillsides.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the use of drones to spray bracken.

Mark Spencer: The control of bracken may be needed on terrain such as steep hillsides which cannot safely be accessed by vehicles for spraying or for mechanical control (such as crushing). For this reason, the emergency authorisation recently granted for spraying bracken with Asulox in England allows for aerial application from helicopters. This is subject to requirements to limit risks to the environment, particularly measures to reduce spray drift, and the need to obtain an aerial spraying permit. Aerial spraying is subject to requirements under pesticides legislation, in particular the assessment of the safety of the pesticide for use in this way and a system of permits for each spray operation. Drone application of pesticides is considered to come within the legal definition of aerial spraying. It is recognised that drones potentially enable more targeted application of pesticides than other means of aerial spraying. The Health and Safety Executive is leading work with drone operators and other relevant industries to develop a shared understanding of the issues to ensure drone spraying can be done safely.

Import Controls

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on levels of (a) businesses importing (i) food and (ii) agricultural products and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mark Spencer: The Target Operating Model (TOM) provides certainty for businesses and seeks to minimise friction. It will strike the appropriate balance between supporting businesses moving goods into Great Britain and protecting the UK’s biosecurity and reputation as a responsible trading nation. We have been listening closely to the feedback we have received from businesses on the draft TOM and have designed it to work fairly and proportionately across all business sizes and models.

Livestock: Animal Housing

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the consultation on keeping farmed animals in cages.

Mark Spencer: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 12 June 2023 to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington, PQ UIN 188176 and the hon. Member for Scunthorpe, PQ UIN 188424

Bees

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the change in the size of the honey bee population between 2017 and 2022.

Trudy Harrison: Our annual Hive Count exercise indicates that numbers of managed honey bees have increased in recent years, from around 252,000 UK colonies in 2017 to 288,000 in 2022. Annual figures are provided in the table below. YearEstimated number of hives2017252,0002018244,0002019264,0002020260,0002021272,6312022288,311 To a large extent, numbers of honey bees are dependent on the number of people willing to keep bees.

Treasury

Business: Loans

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help support businesses which are coming to the end of fixed-term loans with increases in interest rates in Northern Ireland.

John Glen: I would encourage businesses coming to the end of fixed term rates to explore UK Finance’s Business Current Account Finder tool, which was designed to help businesses compare the full range of accounts available to find products that best suit their needs – including business loans. The Government has taken unprecedented steps to protect millions of businesses across the UK both following the outbreak of Covid-19, and more recently high energy prices. Latest measures include:Extending the Recovery Loan Scheme until June 2024, providing businesses with up to £2 million of government guaranteed finance.Increasing the Employment Allowance from £4,000 to £5,000, which means that businesses and charities who had employer NICs bills of £100,000 or less in the previous tax year will be able to claim up to £5,000 off their employer NICs bills.Businesses will also benefit from the cut to the duty rate on petrol and diesel by 5p per litre until March 2024 and the cancelling of the planned inflation increase this year.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 8 of the forty-ninth report of the Committee of Public Accounts entitled Managing tax compliance following the pandemic, published on 3 May 2023, HC 739, what recent steps he has taken to increase productivity among HMRC staff.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 11 of the forty-ninth report of the Committee of Public Accounts entitled Managing tax compliance following the pandemic, published on 3 May 2023, HC 739, what assessment he has made of the impact of HMRC's deterrent work on levels of tax compliance.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to conclusion 5 of the forty-ninth report of the Committee of Public Accounts entitled Managing tax compliance following the pandemic, published on 3 May 2023, HC 739, what recent steps he has taken to estimate the level of errors that HMRC makes when measuring its compliance yield.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Forty-ninth report of the Committee of Public Accounts entitled Managing tax compliance following the pandemic, published on 3 May 2023, HC 739, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of HMRC's resources for preventing the growth of the tax gap.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is considering the Committee’s recommendations and will respond in a Treasury Minute in due course.

UK Trade with EU: Exports

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses exported goods to the EU in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website it is also possible to access other published statistics and information related to international trade in goods. Information about the number of businesses who exported goods to the EU in 2021 and 2022 was obtained from customs declarations and is publicly available in the Customs Importer and Exporter Population Report 2022 (see Table 2 ‘Partner by Direction’). Methodology notes about this data can be found here. Prior to 2021, this information was obtained from the Intrastat survey and is publicly available in the Regional Trade Statistics Accompanying Tables for Q2 2021 (see Tab “CE”, Table 3: count of exporters to EU, 2018 to 2020). The applicable methodology is detailed in the published ‘Notes’ tab.

Prisons: Education

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183809, Prisons: Education, when his Department plans to complete that policy review.

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183809, Prisons: Education, whether his Department is consulting (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) officials and (c) departmental legal advisers as part of that review.

Andrew Griffith: My officials are discussing the implications for New Fair Deal of the ONS reclassification of Further Education to the public sector with relevant stakeholders. The Government will update the House in due course.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 287534 on Roads: Repairs and Maintenance, what his policy is on the hypothecation of Vehicle Excise Duty to roads spending.

John Glen: Revenue raised through English Vehicle Excise Duty is being reinvested into the English road network between 2020-2025 to fund road enhancement projects including the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), which is the largest ever investment in England’s motorways and A Roads. Spending Review 2021 confirmed £24 billion of strategic roads investment between 2020 and 2025 and over £8 billion investment for local roads maintenance and enhancements over this Parliament to fill millions of potholes a year, resurface roads and repair bridges, as well as delivering vital local road upgrades. Spring Budget 2023 also provided an additional £200m in 23-24 to maintain and improve local roads. This increase will enable local authorities in England to fix more potholes, complete resurfacing, and invest in major repairs and renewals, such as keeping bridges and major structures open. The increase is expected to fix the equivalent of up to four million additional potholes across the country.

Small Businesses: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what allocations were made from the Regional Angels Programme in Northern Ireland in 2022.

John Glen: The Regional Angels Programme, overseen by the British Business Bank, helps to reduce regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance for smaller businesses across the UK, including in Northern Ireland. In 2020, the Programme made a commitment of £10m to fund managers in Northern Ireland, which was to be invested over 2.5 years. Northern Ireland fund managers have invested £9.5m of capital funding from the Regional Angels Programme in to 55 companies in Northern Ireland to date. £5.1m of the £9.5m so far invested was made in 2022. More broadly, I would also note that on 7 March 2023, the British Business Bank announced that it was on course to launch a £70 million investment fund for small businesses in Northern Ireland this Autumn. The fund will work to address an identified funding gap, offering a range of commercial finance options with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment of up to £5 million.

Public Sector: Pay Settlements

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the confidence of (a) employer and (b) employee representatives in the public sector pay review body process.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to make the annual public sector pay review body recommendation the minimum amount that is offered for public sector pay awards.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to hold direct negotiations with trades unions on 2023-24 public sector pay awards.

John Glen: The Pay Review Body (PRB) process has operated for over four decades. It is a neutral process in which all parties play a role. Last year, this process resulted in the highest uplifts for public sector workers in over twenty years.The Government continues to appreciate and value the independent advice of the PRBs.The Government will consider the PRB reports for the 2023/24 pay year and awards will be announced in due course once the Government responds to the reports in the normal way.

Capita: Cybercrime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with Capita on the potential impact of the cyber attack on their systems on members of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme.

Andrew Griffith: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not held discussions with Capita on the potential impact to members of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme from the recent cyber incident. HM Treasury has worked closely with the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority, and the National Cyber Security Centre to monitor any impacts in the finance sector of the cyber incident. The financial regulators have engaged directly with Capita.

Cars: Insurance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases in car insurance premiums on consumer price inflation.

Andrew Griffith: Information on inflation in transport insurance and its weight within the Consumer Prices Index basket can be found online at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/consumerpriceinflation/currentInsurers make decisions about the terms on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics. The Government does not intend to intervene in these commercial decisions by insurers as this could damage competition in the market.

Mortgages

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help support people who took out mortgages before 2008 with regulated banks which subsequently collapsed and are now unable to switch to new mortgage deals.

Andrew Griffith: The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely concerning, and, alongside the Financial Conduct Authority and industry, have shown we are willing to act through the introduction of a ‘modified affordability assessment’. We are also regularly in contact with key stakeholders, including recently with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mortgage Prisoners. The Government remains committed to this issue, and welcomes any further practical and proportionate solutions that would meaningfully assist affected borrowers and be fair to other borrowers in the wider market.

Credit Cards: Fraud

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of credit card fraud levels since the contactless cumulative transaction threshold increased to £300 in October 2021.

Andrew Griffith: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer that I gave on 29 June 2023 to PQ UIN 191011.

Pay

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 23 of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee's Monetary Policy Summary and the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting ending on 21 June 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of increases in annual pay growth in (a) higher-paid sectors and (b) lower-paid sectors.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference paragraph 39 of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee's Monetary Policy Summary and minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting ending on 21 June 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of that report's predictions for the rate of average weekly earnings growth for the rest of 2023.

Andrew Griffith: The latest Office for National Statistics data indicates that annual total pay growth (including bonuses) was 6.5% in the three months to April. The National Living and Minimum Wage rate was adjusted this April, in line with the recommendation from the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC). In light of this, we expect to see over 2 million workers earn a pay rise, and a further 4 million workers could indirectly benefit from said rise. We expect this increase to the minimum wage will put more money in the pockets of over 2.5 million of the lowest-paid people in the country. The Government’s priority is halving inflation this year, on the path back to the target of 2% CPI. Our commitment to this target is iron-clad and it applies at all times. The Bank of England has the Government's full support as they take action to return inflation to this target through their independent monetary policy decisions, in line with the primacy of price stability in the Government’s monetary policy objective. The Monetary Policy Committee will continue to monitor closely indications of persistent inflationary pressures in the economy as a whole, including the tightness of labour market conditions and the behaviour of wage growth and services price inflation.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data his Department holds on the revenue raised by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy for Northern Ireland for financial year (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23; and if will provide details of how much of levy raised will be distributed to Northern Ireland using the Barnett formula.

Gareth Davies: The Government does not breakdown the revenue raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy specifically for Northern Ireland. Since January 2020, HMRC no longer publish disaggregated tax receipts. However, HMG continues to input into the Office for National Statistics’ Country and Regional Analysis publication which presents statistical estimates for the allocation of identifiable expenditure between the regions and nations of the UK and includes estimates for Northern Ireland. The latest report can be accessed via this link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/articles/countryandregionalpublicsectorfinances/financialyearending2022 The devolved administrations are well funded through the operation of the Barnett formula, receiving around 20% more than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK. The Block Grant Transparency publication sets out a full breakdown of the funding provided to the devolved administrations and is due to be updated shortly.

Department for Work and Pensions

Government Departments: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2023 to Question 189783 on Cabinet: Disability, what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Cabinet Office on the decision not to implement the National Disability Strategy commitment to lead a multi-year programme to improve the availability, quality, relevance and comparability of Government disability data.

Tom Pursglove: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations. We are disappointed by, and strongly disagree with, the High Court’s finding, and the Secretary of State was granted permission to appeal the Court's declaration. That appeal hearing was heard on 28 June 2023, and we await the decision of the Court. As the National Disability Strategy was found to be unlawful, we are unable to provide you with the further information you have requested. We are fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights, and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, we will be providing details of the Government’s recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer. The Disability Action Plan will go further in areas where we think joint action across departments can make a tangible difference to disabled people’s lives in the immediate term - or where we can make meaningful progress towards a longer-term goal, for example improved disability data and evidence.

Jobcentres: Artificial Intelligence

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish (a) a list of the 20 Jobcentres trialing the use of artificial intelligence and (b) the evaluation of the trial once concluded.

Guy Opperman: (a) The Job Matching Trial began in March 2022 and claimants joined until the end of August 2022 in the following 20 Jobcentre sites: BlythBlyth 2 (Bridge House)*ChesterChester Foregate Street*Edinburgh North Bridge*Edinburgh Waverley Mall*ExeterExeter The Depot, Belgrave Road*High RiggsHuddersfieldHuddersfield Unit 2, Trinity Street*HuntingdonLeithMaidstoneMaidstone Lower Boxley Road*NewarkRusholmeManchester Mosley Street*StaffordStafford Greengate Street* Note: * indicates a temporary Jobcentre. In most cases, where there is more than 1 Jobcentre in a town / city, the trial was delivered by both the main Jobcentre offices and the temporary Jobcentres. Temporary Jobcentres opened as part of the department’s direct response to the impacts on the labour market of the covid-19 pandemic, to rapidly introduce additional Jobcentre Capacity. (b) The department is in the process of evaluating and quality assuring the results from this test.

Children: Maintenance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the amount in child maintenance payments (a) not paid by paying parents and (b) not received by receiving parents when the paying parent's income has been misreported in each financial year since 2009-10.

Mims Davies: The Child Maintenance Service does not hold the information to fully respond to the request. The Department publishes quarterly Child Maintenance Service (CMS) statistics, with the latest statistics available to the end of December 2022 here. Table 6 of the National Tables provides the total amount of uncollected child maintenance from March 2015 – December 2022.

Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department uses natural language processing to analyse communications from claimants.

Mims Davies: DWP uses natural language processing to analyse communications with our customers via Telephony. This includes Speech Analytics, Call Routing and Call Transcription. All of this is to improve the customer experience and assist our customers in accessing the services within the department.

Children: Maintenance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that paying parents report their income (a) promptly and (b) accurately to the Child Maintenance Service.

Mims Davies: As a principal part of the service design the Department uses data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and its own benefits data to assess 91% of Paying Parents earned income and benefit status, which are key parts of the maintenance calculation. Additionally, the Child Maintenance service allows both paying and receiving parents to request a change to the assessment if they believe that the paying parent’s income has changed by more than 25% compared to the most recent figures provided by HMRC. This can be done online, over the telephone or in writing. Customer communications highlight the obligations of parents to provide information and the consequences of failure to comply or misrepresentation. Where a paying parent receives unearned income which can be legally considered in assessing child maintenance either parent can request a variation to the normal maintenance calculation. Cases involving suspected misrepresentation or fraudulent behaviour can be looked into by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the CMS is given.

Parental Pay: Self-employed

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to extend adoption pay to self-employed people who have a child via surrogacy.

Mims Davies: The Government has no plans to extend adoption pay to self-employed people who have a child via surrogacy.

Working Hours: Health and Safety

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to consult on health and safety protections for night workers.

Mims Davies: Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all employers have a duty, so far as it is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. Specifically, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess the health and safety risks to employees, to which they are exposed whilst they are at work, and to put in place arrangements to control those risks. Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive, as outlined in their strategic objectives, however there are no current plans to consult on health and safety protections for night workers.

Children: Maintenance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many paying parents had child maintenance arrears of more than (a) £1,000, (b) £5,000 and (c) £10,000 in each financial year since 2009-10.

Mims Davies: The Child Maintenance Service does not currently hold the information requested. The number of paying parents with arrears as of the 31st of March each year between 2018 and 2023 has been provided.  Number of Paying ParentsArrearsMar-18Mar-19Mar-20Mar-21Mar-22Mar-23More than £1,000 but less than or equal to £5,00045,80056,80065,20068,60076,80085,200More than £5,000 but less than or equal to £10,0006,50010,30013,60015,90018,10020,600More than £10,0001,3002,6004,3006,0007,5009,200Source: Child Maintenance Service Administrative Data  All figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding.The figures supplied are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Social Security Benefits: Poverty

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what fiscal steps he is taking to (a) tackle the impact of the benefit cap on low-income families and (b) help prevent increases in child poverty.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and their children. The Secretary of State reviewed the benefit cap levels in November 2022 and decided they should be increased from April 2023. The Secretary of State has a statutory obligation to review the benefit cap levels at least once every five years. With 1.05 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals, including parents, to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were around 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. To support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. At the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures designed to support people wherever they live in the UK to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives. The Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours which is why, from 28 June, the changes to the Universal Credit (UC) childcare element announced in Spring Budget 2023 will provide generous additional financial support to parents moving into paid work and/or increasing their working hours. This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills.

Childcare: Fees and Charges

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of adults who have left the workforce as a result of the cost of childcare.

Guy Opperman: We know that the cost of childcare remains a significant barrier for people entering and remaining in work. For this reason, the government announced a series of measures at the Spring Budget to support parents with these costs. The number of people with dependent children who were working in Jan-Mar 2023 (12.100m) is slightly higher than in the same quarter in 2019 (11.825m), before the pandemic. The number of 16- to 64-year-olds who were economically inactive due to looking after family or home in Feb-Apr 2023 was 1,640,000, down 199,000 on pre-pandemic period (Dec-Feb 2020), and down 728,000 on the 2010 election

Social Security Benefits: Applications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of which benefit applications are (a) paper-based and (b) digital.

Guy Opperman: The answer on each DWP benefit is readily available via Gov.uk including advice on eligibility. Check benefits and financial support you can get - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Statutory Sick Pay: Chronic Illnesses

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing people in receipt of statutory sick pay living with (a) cystic fibrosis and (b) other long term conditions to have phased returns to work.

Tom Pursglove: Health is Everyone’s Business (2019) consulted on a broad package of measures related to the work and health agenda. This included some proposals related to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) such as making it more flexible to support phased returns to work. In the response to the consultation (2021), the Government stated this was not the right time to introduce changes to the sick pay system, but that we are continuing to keep the SSP system under review.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on a person being entitled to a share of their partner’s disability benefits as part of a divorce settlement.

Tom Pursglove: Disability benefits, that is, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, are personal benefits – the law does not provide for joint claims - and would remain with the existing claimant at the point of divorce. There are no plans to change this policy.

Suicide

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the inclusion of advice on financial difficulties in the new suicide prevention strategy.

Tom Pursglove: The DWP is working closely with DHSC on the development of the national suicide prevention strategy. This is through our membership of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group Cost of Living Sub-forum. This forum includes sharing advice around supporting customers who are experiencing financial difficulties.

Sick Pay: Self-employed

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a sick pay scheme for the self-employed.

Tom Pursglove: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid for by employers and there is no mechanism to include the self-employed in SSP. The Government does have a wider safety net to ensure self-employed people are supported through the welfare system. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances.

Working Age Benefits: Chronic Illnesses

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing the rate of statutory sick pay, (b) abolishing the lower earnings limit and (c) extending the 28 weeks cap for people living with (i) cystic fibrosis and (ii) other long term conditions.

Tom Pursglove: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a measure of earnings replacement to employees when they are sick or incapable of work. Employers are required to pay it at the legal minimum rate for up to 28 weeks per period of absence. Many employers decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay. If an individual who is suffering from a long-term health condition requires further financial support while off work sick, for example, where their income is reduced while on Statutory Sick Pay, they may be able to claim Universal Credit depending on their personal circumstances. Where they are not eligible, for example, because they earn below the Lower Earnings Limit, they may also be able to claim New Style Employment and Support Allowance.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of unfreezing the pensions of overseas pensioners.

Laura Trott: The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions, and we continue to up-rate it abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. There are no plans to change this policy.

Universal Credit: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Universal Credit was paid to recipients based in Northern Ireland in each year from 2019 to 2022.

Guy Opperman: Universal Credit is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland, where it is administered by the Department for Communities.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Genomics: China

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2023 to Question 190396 on China: Genomics, when she plans for the programme of work on assessing how to minimise risks from biological data to be completed.

George Freeman: As part of the new UK Biological Security Strategy, the Government is undertaking a programme of work to assess how we can minimise the risks from biological data to protect our burgeoning bioeconomy, without stifling innovation, and build confidence in sharing personal data to improve health outcomes in the UK and across the world. The Government has begun this work, which is a ‘medium term’ commitment in the new UK Biological Security Strategy.

Digital Technology: International Cooperation

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Closing the digital divide: promoting equal access to digital technologies at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 23 June 2023.

Paul Scully: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called on states to focus on: access to the internet; improving digital literacy; promoting access to STEM education and careers; and ensuring equality of access to public services. The Government is already making progress on these issues.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is delivering on the Government’s commitment to universal access to reliable internet via its social tariffs initiative. To support low-income families, we have worked closely with Ofcom and the industry to bring a range of social tariffs into the market. These low-cost, high-quality broadband and mobile offers are available from a range of providers, across 99% of the UK and start from as low as £10 per month.The Assembly called on States to ‘combat digital illiteracy regardless of gender, age, social status, economic situation, disability or any other personal characteristic’. The Government remains committed to developing digital skills across the whole of the UK. Through our Digital Entitlement scheme, free Essential Digital Skills Qualifications are available to enable people to gain the skills needed to participate in modern life.The Assembly also called on States to ‘promote equal access to education and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers’. The Government is funding a new generation of AI talent through scholarships, each worth £10,000, supporting underrepresented groups, including women, to undertake AI and Data Science Conversion Courses. The conversion courses provide a masters in AI and data science, and allow those from a non-STEM background to learn the skills needed to secure employment in the UK’s cutting-edge AI and Data Science sectors.The Assembly urged States to ‘ensure equality of access to public services’. We are working to ensure that online services are as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites accessible to as many people as possible. Furthermore, assisted digital support services aim to increase digital inclusion for those online users who lack digital confidence, digital skills or access to the internet.As stated at the Council of Europe, the Government will continue to scrutinise and prioritise digital inclusion. The recent House of Lords inquiry into Digital Inclusion is an example of this oversight, and will ensure the Government continues to prioritise and deliver against this important area.

Life Sciences: Companies

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many life sciences companies were based in the UK in each of the last five years.

George Freeman: In the five years to 2021, the number of life sciences businesses operating in the UK were as follows: 6,164 in 2017; 6,528 in 2018; 6,489 in 2019; 6,537 in 2020; and 6,548 in 2021. The Department does not yet hold statistics for 2022 or 2023. Statistics covering 2022 will be published by the Office for Life Sciences on 1 December 2023 in the annual ‘Bioscience and health technology sector statistics’ publication.

4G: Rural Areas

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, lnnovation and Technology, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve 4G connectivity in (a) remote and (b) other areas.

Sir John Whittingdale: This Government understands the frustration arising from the impact poor mobile coverage has on some communities, particularly in rural and remote areas. That is why we agreed a deal with the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to deliver the Shared Rural Network (SRN) which will extend 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025, underpinned by legally binding spectrum obligations.The SRN will improve mobile coverage for an extra 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads and will lead to increases in coverage across all four nations, with the biggest coverage improvements in rural parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.In fact the programme is already delivering coverage improvements across the UK with 4G coverage now at 92%, up from 91% when the SRN agreement was signed in March 2020. The MNOs have now deployed more than 150 new sites and have upgraded over 1,500 sites across the UK. On 3 May we announced the activation of the first government-funded SRN phone mast upgrade in Lockerbie, Scotland.As part of our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, we have asked Ofcom to improve the accuracy of their reporting of mobile coverage and network performance in rural areas.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Buildings: Insurance

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of building insurers which mandate remediation work on residential buildings below 11 metres as a condition of cover; and if he will make a statement.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Mem to the answer given to UIN 190514 on 28 June 2023. Information on the number of buildings under 11m where insurers require remediation as a condition of issuing insurance is not held centrally.

Housing: Disability

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183870 on Housing: Disability, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits for his Department's future policies of collecting data on the implementation of the accessible and adaptable design standard.

Lee Rowley: The Government has commissioned research that includes demographics, ergonomic requirements and experiences of disabled people, as part of a full review relating to Part M of the Building Regulations. Results from that research will be published in due course.

Local Government Finance: South Tyneside

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 127773 on South Tyneside, if he can provide a breakdown of what the returned grant funding was allocated for.

Lee Rowley: The returned grant allocations were in respect of the business rates system. Following submission of outturn figures, South Tyneside made the below reconciliation repayments to DLUHC. The repayments are against funding paid to the local authority on account based on estimates they provided.AmountPurpose £92,320.00Adjustments to the Covid Tax Income Guarantee Scheme for 20-213£6,393,896.00Adjustments to Business Rates Relief grants for 20-211£18,130.00Adjustments to Business Rate Retention payments for 2019-202£246,099.00Adjustments to Business Rate Retention payments for 2020-211 1 The figure can be found in the published 2020-21 NNDR3 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1104063/NNDR3_2020-21_LA_dropdown_september.xlsx2 The figure can be found in the published 2019-20 NNDR3 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1104043/NNDR3_2019-20_LA_dropdown_september.xlsx3 A reconciliation calculation was carried out by DLUHC based on submitted 2020-21 NNDR1 and NNDR3 figures to compensate LAs for a share of lost local tax in response to Covid. A calculator was shared with LAs to allow them to calculate their final value of this grant in advance.

Local Government Finance

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to (a) revise local authority funding formulas and (b) make an assessment of the impact of those changes on household income.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon Mem to the policy statement , published 12 December 2022.

Housing: Disability

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183870 on Housing: Disability, whether his Department plans to require newbuild homes to meet the accessible and adaptable design standard.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN HL8422 on 26 June 2023.

Council Tax: Second Homes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to double council tax on second homes.

Lee Rowley: Provisions to allow local authorities to charge a council tax premium of up to 100% on second homes are contained within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.

Parking: Fines

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2023 to Question 155257 on Parking: Fines, what his Department's planned timescales are for the completion of the impact assessment and consultation.

Dehenna Davison: Announcements will be made in the usual way.

Local Government: Cheshire

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Westminster Hall debate on Future of the UK Constitution and Devolution on 8 March 2023, Official Report columns 131WH and 141WH, when he plans to respond to the request for a meeting to discuss Cheshire devolution.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has met local authority representatives in the last six months to discuss devolution in Cheshire and Warrington.

Dehenna Davison: The Government is committed to extending devolution across England and seeing more empowered and accountable local leaders who can drive growth, innovate, and respond to the specific challenges and needs of their areas. I met with local leaders from across Cheshire and Warrington to discuss their devolution ambitions for the region. Details of ministerial meetings are published on gov.uk.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 187652 on UK Shared Prosperity Fund, whether the expenditure on science, research and development and innovation will be captured through routine reporting.

Dehenna Davison: Further to the answer given to Question UIN 190622 on 26th June 2023, a number of interventions and projects could accommodate activity geared towards R&D and Innovation but would not be exclusively for this purpose.

Local Government Finance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with local authorities on taking steps to retain mechanisms to pay for all local authority services with cash.

Dehenna Davison: In April, the Secretary of State wrote to all local authorities in England setting out his expectations that parking services for which councils are responsible remain accessible.I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Planning Permission: Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many planning applications refused by Durham County Council have been (a) referred and (b) overturned by the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Rachel Maclean: The Planning Inspectorate publishes data on planning decisions at the following link.

Local Plans: Green Belt

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2023 to Question 135421 on Local Plans: Green Belt, how many local authorities have stated to his Department that they are preparing their local plans in line with (a) Written Ministerial Statement HCWS415, 6 December 2022 and (b) the National Planning Policy Framework.

Rachel Maclean: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing: Construction

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of when 300,000 new homes will be built each year.

Rachel Maclean: We are continuing to work towards our ambition of delivering 300,000 homes a year. We have made strong progress. Over 232,000 additional homes were delivered for the last year for which data is available, which is over 75% of the way towards that goal.

Help to Buy Scheme

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reasons Lenvi were appointed as the equity loan administrator for the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Departments policy is on individuals with a Help to Buy Equity Loan purchasing a second property if the first property requires remediation for building safety faults.

Rachel Maclean: Following a competitive tender at the end of our previous contract with Target, the service provision was awarded to Equinity Gateway Services, who have since rebranded to Lenvi, and who are international specialists in payments and technology-led services. Lenvi have now taken up provision of all Help to Buy customer service functions and will deliver service improvements for Help to Buy customers over the coming months.Help to Buy customers are required to pay off their equity loan if they wish to purchase another home, as they must not have interest in any other residential property whilst they have the equity loan. This is clearly set out in the homebuyers guide and Equity Mortgage Deed. If a customer would like to pay off their equity loan, they would first need to have their home professionally valued to ascertain its current market value.We recognise that those whose properties have building safety issues, such as unsafe exterior cladding, can present additional challenges in valuing. The process to get a valuation and redeem an equity loan for properties affected by cladding can be found on Gov.uk. We are aware that some customers are having difficulties finding a valuer prepared to value their properties. We have been working with the Homes England and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to try to find ways to help customers.On December 6, the RICS published new valuation guidance for buildings 11 metres and above with cladding here. This guidance reflects the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act which confirmed that those at fault, not blameless leaseholders, will be the ones to pay to fix unsafe cladding; and the solutions in place to fix buildings 11m+.This new guidance will help to resolve difficulties in valuing properties where cladding is present.Our focus continues to be on helping customers to find a solution as quickly as possible, however we recognise that this has been difficult for a number of customers.

Help to Buy Scheme

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Departments policy is on individuals with a Help to Buy Equity Loan purchasing a second property if the first property requires remediation for building safety faults.

Rachel Maclean: Following a competitive tender at the end of our previous contract with Target, the service provision was awarded to Equinity Gateway Services, who have since rebranded to Lenvi, and who are international specialists in payments and technology-led services. Lenvi have now taken up provision of all Help to Buy customer service functions and will deliver service improvements for Help to Buy customers over the coming months.Help to Buy customers are required to pay off their equity loan if they wish to purchase another home, as they must not have interest in any other residential property whilst they have the equity loan. This is clearly set out in the homebuyers guide and Equity Mortgage Deed. If a customer would like to pay off their equity loan, they would first need to have their home professionally valued to ascertain its current market value.We recognise that those whose properties have building safety issues, such as unsafe exterior cladding, can present additional challenges in valuing. The process to get a valuation and redeem an equity loan for properties affected by cladding can be found on Gov.uk. We are aware that some customers are having difficulties finding a valuer prepared to value their properties. We have been working with the Homes England and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to try to find ways to help customers.On December 6, the RICS published new valuation guidance for buildings 11 metres and above with cladding here. This guidance reflects the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act which confirmed that those at fault, not blameless leaseholders, will be the ones to pay to fix unsafe cladding; and the solutions in place to fix buildings 11m+.This new guidance will help to resolve difficulties in valuing properties where cladding is present.Our focus continues to be on helping customers to find a solution as quickly as possible, however we recognise that this has been difficult for a number of customers.

Church Commissioners

Clergy: Truro

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, how many parishes in the Diocese of Truro have a vacancy for (a) an incumbency and (b) a priest-in-charge; and how many (i) incumbent and (ii) priest-in-charge vacancies there have been in Truro Diocese in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: Parish priest appointments are a matter for diocesan bishops. Data about the number of vacancies for incumbents and priests-in-charge per annum are not held centrally by the National Church Institutions.

Independent Safeguarding Board

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church took to resolve the dispute with members of the Independent Safeguarding Board before the decision was made to give them notice.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Commissioners made an assessment of the potential implications of any obligation to provide an independent mediator to resolve the Independent Safeguarding Board dispute.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what process the Church is using to appoint new members of the Independent Safeguarding Board.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the work started in phase one of the Independent Safeguarding Board will be completed following the disbanding of the Board.

Andrew Selous: The Archbishops’ Council of the National Church Institutions is absolutely committed to developing fully independent scrutiny of safeguarding within the Church of England to ensure the Church of England is a safe place for everyone, to be transparent and accountable, and to hear the voices of victims and survivors. The actions of the Archbishops' Council and reasons for the decisions taken are set out here: Statement from Archbishops’ Council on the Independent Safeguarding Board | The Church of EnglandThe work of independently reviewing cases will not stop, and the Archbishops’ Council has moved swiftly to put in place interim arrangements, which will be carried out as at present by external experts. The priority will now be to move to the next phase of setting up a fully independent Board, which will be fully separate from the Church. The Church of England will engage with victims and survivors and others to establish a process of working together to design a permanent independent oversight structure as soon as possible. It is not appointing further Board members at this stage.The Archbishops' Council has been seeking to resolve the dispute in good faith. But because the two board members were reluctant to engage in those discussions, for example they had not met with the Acting Chair since March, with great regret the Archbishops’ Council felt this was the only way forward.